Boxing legend Mike Tyson accused Deontay Wilder of protecting his undefeated record by avoiding top heavyweights and "embarrassing a pudgy-looking guy" instead.
The 34-year-old WBC champ has fought 43 professional fights and chalked up an incredible 42 wins, with 41 of those victories coming by way of knockout.
But Wilder, who is often criticised for his boxing skills, has also been slated for his opponents and fighting heavyweights outside of the top ten in the world.
Ahead of Wilder's first clash with Tyson Fury in December 2018, 'Iron' Mike blasted the 'Bronze Bomber' for fighting cherry-picked opponents instead of top heavyweight contenders.
He told Trans World Sport: "Listen, I'm sure these are good fighters, you know. But they're not fighting everybody. All the good fighters are not fighting each other, you know.
"Deontay Wilder, he's knocking out everybody, but you know... he hasn't fought a rated guy yet.
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"He [should have fought a real guy] before he fought [Wladimir] Klitschko, but fought this other guy: the gentlemen from Haiti, [Bermane] Stiverne.
"He should fight some contenders. I'm not saying he's a bad fighter, he can't fight, but you know the last guy he fought was... I don't know who he fought! Some tubby little dude and he just didn't look good.
"That's what's wrong with fighting now. That's why boxing is such a dull-drum right now because you know who is going to win the fight before the fight even starts.
"And the boxers are not evenly matched, and if they don't want to fight guys who they believe are gonna help them push themselves, [then] that shows they don't have much confidence in their ability.
"He [shouldn't] be embarrassing a pudgy-looking guy -- that's what it looks like. It looks like he was gonna win. Before the fight even started, this guy is gonna win. That's not what boxing is all about."
Tyson, 53, was also critical of how boxing stars like Wilder have protected their undefeated records rather than fighting top-tier opponents to maintain them.
The boxing legend, who lost six times in the squared circle, pointed to how the legendary Rocky Marciano fought tooth and nail to maintain his unblemished record.
And Tyson also insisted that while the legendary Muhammad Ali suffered defeat in the sport, he is the "greatest fighter that ever lived."
The 'Baddest Man on the Planet' explained: "Boxing is about being pushed, about being challenged, about challenging yourself. [...] They talk about Rocky Marciano [being] 49-0. Rocky Marciano got his a**e kicked -- he fought for that [zero].
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"He fought the best fighters, they beat his a**e, he came back! He didn't have that undefeated record by osmosis. He fought for it. He fought for it.
"These guys are not fighting for their undefeated records. Look at [Muhammad] Ali, the greatest fighter that ever lived and he lost. No-one's ever going to be better than him, he's the greatest fighter that ever lived and he lost.
"So, being undefeated doesn't mean anything if you don't push yourself and go through the test."
Wilder previously called out Tyson over his boxing record in an astonishing rant on social media in 2017.
And the KO artist has previously bragged about the idea of beating 'Iron' Mike in his prime.
However, Tyson has brutally shut down the idea that Wilder would have stood a chance against him in his heyday.
Wilder is now scheduled to clash with Fury on 22nd February for the vacant Ring Magazine title and WBC championship.
Featured Image Credit: Trans World Sport/PATopics: Mike Tyson, Bronze Bomber, Boxing News, Boxing, Iron Mike, Deontay Wilder