Heavyweight fan-favourite Mike Tyson remains a fan of the sport to this day and now the once ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’ has picked out his five personal favourite active fighters.
‘Iron Mike’ obliterated all opposition on route to winning the world title at the age of 20 years old – a record that is unlikely to ever be broken and a feat that has him forever etched into the history books.
Tyson would go on to become a two-time champion of the division and one of the biggest celebrities that the sport has ever produced, with Muhammad Ali perhaps the only man that could beat him in the name recognition stakes.
Astonishingly, Tyson made his professional comeback in 2024, when he suffered a seventh career defeat to YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, simultaneously breaking the record as the former heavyweight world champion with the longest professional career only to be trumped by Oliver McCall this year.
Despite talk of exhibitions, Tyson is now watching, analysing and getting involved in developing young fighters. Ahead of his recent Amateur Invitational, he told the Ring Magazine who he likes to watch most.
“I like [Shakur] Stevenson, you know. I like Keyshawn Davis, I like [Terence] Crawford. I like [Naoya] Inoue, the Japanese guy, I like him. What’s the Charlo brother, Jermall? He is a real good fighter.”
Defensive master and four-weight world champion, Shakur Stevenson, is now recognised as one of the very best fighters in the sport. Following his victory over Teofimo Lopez, he is plotting his next move, considering either lightweight or super-lightweight. Keyshawn Davis is a close friend and training partner of Stevenson who is proving equally hard to beat, though still waits for that major breakout fight.
Crawford – a mentor to both mentioned above – retired from boxing late last year after beating Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez against the odds. When he hung up the gloves, Most believed Naoya Inoue moved up a slot in the pound-for-pound rankings, with the Japanese ‘Monster’ continuing to dominate the lower weight classes via big knockouts and statement wins.
The inclusion of Jermall Charlo is the most left-field pick from ‘Iron’ Mike, given his crippling inactivity for the last five years, fighting just twice. Things were looking up recently when the two-weight champion reportedly landed a shot at the WBA super-middleweight this June, but it was quickly followed by news that he would not be on the card for reasons unknown.
