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Mike Tyson Claims That He Only Ever Watched One Of Muhammad Ali’s Fights

Mike Tyson Claims That He Only Ever Watched One Of Muhammad Ali’s Fights

Mike Tyson said that fellow boxing legend Muhammad Ali didn't influence him to become a boxer, but rather he "wanted to be famous."

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz

Mike Tyson made a surprising admission that he only ever watched one of Muhammad Ali's fights, despite praising the influence of the legendary boxer.

'Iron Mike,' 53, is widely placed in the same debate as boxing legend Ali for the all-time best the sport has ever seen.

In the 2017 autobiography Iron Ambition: My Life with Cus D'Amato, Tyson admitted that the only time he ever saw the 'Greatest' fight was in his second clash with Leon Spinks.

"The only time I saw an Ali fight was when he was fighting Leon Spinks for the second time [1978]," he said.

"I was hanging out on a corner in Brownsville with my friend when we saw a guy going into the corner store.

"Someone told us he had food stamps and money on him, so I made sure I got in front of him.

"Everyone's eyes were glued to the TV showing the fight. I loved Ali but I wasn't a bit interested in the fight."

PA
PA

Former undisputed world heavyweight champ Tyson also revealed that he wasn't a boxing fan and was into wrestling instead.

But the 'Baddest Man on the Planet' claims that Ali had a major impact on him after watching the 1977 biopic Muhammad Ali: The Greatest.

"I wasn't a boxing fan at all. I used to love watching wrestlers like Bruno Sammartino and Killer Kowalski," he explained.

"Watching the biopic was great. When the movie was over, the lights came on and all of a sudden Ali walked out on the stage and the place just exploded."

PA

Both Tyson and Ali endured controversial moments outside of the boxing ring.

And Tyson recalled one moment from the Ali biopic that resonated with him, despite insisting that the 'Greatest' didn't singlehandedly convince him to pursue a career in boxing.

"He [Ali] started talking to us about being in detention, how he had been in jail and lost his mind," he said.

PA

"He was saying beautiful, inspiration stuff -- that speech was a game changer for me.

"It's not that I wanted to become a boxer after hearing him. I just knew that I wanted to be famous."

Tyson has continued to hold Ali in high regard and destroyed Floyd Mayweather when he claimed that he was better than the 'Greatest.'

Ali, who passed away at the age of 74 in 2016, was voted the best boxer of all time ahead of Tyson and Mayweather.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Mike Tyson, Boxing News, Boxing, muhammad ali, Iron Mike