Copyright Yardbarker
When it comes to spectacle matchups in boxing, it’s often the sport’s biggest Wild West moments. And a proposed exhibition clash between Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather is just that. Talk has been rife of an upcoming exhibition clash of former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, and 50-0 megastar Floyd Mayweather — as soon as next year, in fact. However, with the sport at another peak of its powers on the back of Terence Crawford’s stellar win over Canelo Alvarez, boxing seems to fall into historic pitfalls time and time again. The audience was there to see Tyson’s return a year ago — largely in the hope he would bring an end to Jake Paul’s recent assault on the sport. But a year later, with the Catskills star lined up for another outing, this time against historic rival Mayweather, are fans that captivated — or even bothered? Who wants to watch Mike Tyson vs. Floyd Mayweather? As mentioned, a year ago in Texas, the AT&T Stadium was jam-packed — with many in attendance hoping for Tyson to roll back the considerable years and bring an end to Paul’s charge in the ring. But make no bones about it, Tyson should never have been in the ring in the first place. Initially sidelined through a debilitating back injury, Tyson eventually returned in November, just shy of 20 years since his disappointing retirement fight. Fans hoped Tyson could muster up a knockout for the ages against the brash Paul, but against Mayweather, the selling point is a tad strange. For years, fans would also line up in the hope that some contender would bring a crashing end to the polarizing Mayweather’s reign. But since his retirement in 2016, the Grand Rapids star has received his flowers time and time again from naysayers, finally realising his overall dominance in the ring. However, the basis of this proposed clash of Tyson and Mayweather is a rather cloudy grudge from years ago, which both have remained tight-lipped on — with Tyson even playing down a bitter strife. As is often the case with exhibition bouts of the past, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck — it usually is. I can’t help but think this is another cash grab from the duo, in a glorified sparring match. Mike Tyson is touching 60 years of age At the time of his eventual retirement 20 years ago, Tyson was a true shell of a boxing magnate who ruled the roost at heavyweight 1980s and the early 90s. That’s a fact. Slumped by British veteran Danny Williams a year prior, Tyson candidly claimed his “heart” was simply not in the sport, which he ruled anymore. Against the above-mentioned Paul, Tyson had turned 58 years of age earlier this summer, and it showed in the ring. Failing to ever get going against the YouTuber and social media influencer, Tyson lasted the entire eight round limit against Paul, but should not have been in there in the first place. And while he is unlikely to take life-altering punishment in a showdown with former lightweight star Mayweather, something is really wrong about pitting a near-60-year-old Tyson in the ring against the Michigan pugilist. The exhibition nature of this fight Featuring Tyson in a professional outing against Paul was dubious, if not irresponsible to say the least; however, putting him in the ring — paired with his health issues against Mayweather — even in an exhibition clash, is just gratuitous. Mayweather has featured in a total of eight exhibition fights since his 2017 retirement from the ring — and each and every one has failed to live up to any expectation at all. In the 80s, Tyson fought both Anthony Davis and James Tillis in non-scored bouts, before matching with Cory Sanders in the mid-2000s in another similar matchup. At the turn of this decade, he shared the ring with fellow former kingpin Roy Jones Jr. in another non-scored bout in California, looking quite decent — if for his age. The Manny Pacquiao factor I’ve already argued against a rematch between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao next year, but there’s a caveat to that argument. In the time since their lackluster 2015 pairing, Pacquiao has remained active in the ring, securing title victories, in fact. And just as recently as this summer, he snapped a four-year retirement to challenge for the WBC welterweight crown. While a rematch between Mayweather and Pacquiao in a professional setting smells more and more like a cash grab, it would be the lesser of two evils, in my opinion, if I could play matchmaker.
