Mike Tyson is one of the most iconic figures in combat sports history, but even the biggest stars still get starstruck.
People are often starstruck when Mike Tyson enters the room, but what is it like when the roles are reversed?
Tyson made waves in the boxing world as a teenager, winning his first 19 fights all by knockout on his way to superstardom. He later won the WBC heavyweight title at just 20 years old, winning each of his fights by stoppage aside from two decision victories up to that point.
For close to forty years, Mike Tyson has been a legendary figure in the sport of boxing. Despite his stature and millions of fans, he too had people he looked up to throughout the heights of his career—one of those men being the late great Muhammad Ali.
During an interview after his passing, Tyson got emotional as he spoke of the person Ali was, not just in the ring but outside of it too.
“When you have somebody like Muhammad Ali in your family,” Tyson said. “Sometimes when god makes individuals, he’s showing off.”
“Like Ali, who can be like that? Just an amazing fighter, an amazing human being, just remarkable. And when you see him in his prime, he looks more like a model than a fighter.”
“I can’t even articulate. [He’s] amazing.”