Tyson Fury on fight exhibition with Mike Tyson: If he had won then people would have said I was rubbish because a 53 year old beat me and if I had beaten him then I would have been a bully.
A few weeks ago, World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Tyson Fury revealed that he was one of the fighters directly approached to face Mike Tyson in an exhibition fight.
Tyson, 57-years-old and inactive since 2005, has been discussed the possibility of a comeback for several months. He wants to take part in several exhibition bouts to raise money for charity.
The former undisputed heavyweight champion has been releasing training videos to showcase his speed and power. Some of the videos have gone viral on social media with millions of views being racked up.
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Fury, who was named at birth after ‘Iron Mike,’ had some interest in fighting his idol.
But, he says the money that was offered was very extremely low.
“His people contacted me, me and Mike had a phone call, it was all real but never materialized. Someone who was offering the money to Mike came back and offered us peanuts completely. Mike was talking about $500 million figures but what came back on paper was a joke, it was crazy,” Fury said to IFL TV.
“I did have a $10 million offer from ESPN to do the fight as an exhibition but I think everyone has moved on now.”
At the same time, Fury admits that he would have found himself in a tough situation – win or lose – had he entered the ring to fight Tyson.
“I would have just loved to share the ring with him and move around. But if he had won then people would have said I was rubbish because a 53-year-old beat me and if I had beaten him then I would have been a bully,” Fury said.
“It was a lose-lose situation for me. It was money I didn’t need to fight a man past his best.”
Tyson Fury on Mike Tyson Working with Ngannou: I Think That It’s Sad; The Man I’m Named After Has to Go Against Me
The WBC heavyweight titlist from Manchester, England, is set to go 10 rounds on Oct. 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with Ngannou, the former UFC heavyweight champion, in what will be mark Ngannou’s boxing debut.
Guiding Ngannou is boxing great Mike Tyson, whose name was the inspiration for Fury’s own.
In a recent interview, Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) noted the unfortunate paradox of their circumstance.
“I think that it’s sad, actually,” Fury told Sky Sports. “The man that I am named after, a legend, has to go against me and then come out as a loser, having lost to a man who was named after him. I think that it’s sad and I think that he should be in my corner, not the opposing corner, but business is business and I understand that it’s strictly business.”
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At the same time, Fury is not expecting his namesake to produce any meaningful improvements in Ngannou.
“No matter what he teaches this fella, no matter how much boxing training he does, everyone has got a plan until they get punched in the face,” Fury sad. “And I’m not sure who said that, but that is true. They’ve all got a plan until they get smacked in the mouth.”
The 37-year-old Ngannou, of Cameroon, parted ways with the UFC earlier this year. The move allowed the heavyweight to link up with the Professional Fighters League. Ngannou’s contract with the PFL allows him to participate in a boxing match.
Fury, 35, has not fought since December, when he stopped countryman Derek Chisora in 10 rounds. Fury was then involved in protracted talks to fight unified champion Oleksandr Usyk but their negotiations broke down repeatedly over their purse.
