With the final bout in a trilogy of fights between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder looming on October 9, we know one boxing legend who will be cheering for the Gypsy King come Saturday evening.In a resurfaced video from the second bout between Fury and Wilder, Mike Tyson was seen elatedly cheering with his arms in the air as the Brit defeated his American opponent thanks to a seventh-round stoppage.Tyson Fury and Mike Tyson have a good relationship outside of the boxing ring, as the former has appeared on the podcast Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson, so it should come as no surprise really that the legend was elated to see his good friend become the new WBC champion, even at the expense of his fellow countryman.On the podcast, Fury told a heartwarming story where he revealed that he was named after the boxing legend.“My dad was a professional boxer in the late 80s, early 90s. And his hero was you,” Fury told his namesake.“I came into the world and I was eight weeks premature and I was dying. I wasn’t supposed to live.“When I lived, my dad said, ‘I am going to call you after my favourite heavyweight, Tyson.’”
On the other side of the “Once and For All” dubbed trilogy fight, Wilder, in an Instagram Live session, was less than complementary about Tyson’s legendary status in the boxing world. In fact, he went so far as to question Tyson’s boxing record.
Speaking on the number of boxing Hall of Famers Tyson went up against, Wilder was critical of the strength of his opponents.
“Only two,” he began. “Holyfield beat him twice and Lennox beat him. Everybody else was f****** scared, no Hall of Famers.”
Wilder’s controversial opinion has not stopped Iron Mike, who became the world boxing heavyweight champion at just 20 years old, from offering advice to Wilder in his upcoming fight.
“He should go all out for five or six rounds,” Tyson commented when asked about Wilder’s approach to the fight.
“If you catch him, you catch him. Go all out, win or lose.”
Despite his words of wisdom to Wilder, it seems that Mike Tyson will be cheering for his namesake in one of the most highly anticipated boxing matches in recent history. And if the last two fights are anything to go by, the boxing world is in for a treat.