Mike Tyson has named the one current boxer that he would be ‘afraid’ to fight.
In 2005, Mike Tyson announced his retirement from professional boxing. However, he made a comeback to the sport in 2020, fighting opponent Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition contest.
After ‘Iron Mike’ experienced an ulcer flare-up, the fight was originally slated to take place in July but was postponed. He will now fight Jake Paul under professional rules in November.
It’s unclear if the 58-year-old would give up fighting for good after that match, but he has identified the one opponent in the current crop that he does not want to face.
Who Is Mike Tyson afraid to fight?
Although it was expected that Tyson would mention fighters like Oleksandr Usyk or Deontay Wilder, he chose David Benavidez, the interim light heavyweight champion of the WBC.
“He’s so underrated but so over-polarized here,” Tyson said to ES News.
“Listen, I’d be afraid to fight him too, if I was in that division. No-one even has a chance against him, and I’m talking facts.”
Known by the moniker “The Mexican Monster,” Benavidez has prevailed in all 29 of his professional bouts.
In November, he defeated fellow American fighter Demetrius Andrade via corner stoppage, and in June, he defeated Olympic bronze medallist Oleksandr Gvozdyk of London 2012 via unanimous decision.
Also Read: Who was Mike Tyson’s last opponent?
Canelo Alvarez, a popular fighter from Mexico, has been mentioned as a potential opponent; however, Alvarez’s recent remarks suggest that he might face someone completely different.
He told BoxingScene: “I just go fight by fight.
“Right now, I’m 100 per cent focused on [Edgar] Berlanga, and then I’ll come to other opponents in the future.
“You never know. There’s always a possibility [that I fight Benavidez]. If [Dmitry] Bivol wins that fight, I’d like to take that chance [instead] for the rematch.”
