Floyd Mayweather’s views are held to a high regard in most boxing circles, but his latest comments regarding Mike Tyson will leave many fans scratching their heads.
The 47-year-old retired from professional boxing with a flawless record of 50-0, following his dominant display against former UFC champion Conor McGregor back in 2017.
Before the monumental crossover showdown, though, Floyd Mayweather had already established himself as one of the greatest fighters of all time, beating the likes of Manny Pacquiao and Canelo Alvarez.
But now, the pound-for-pound icon has dipped his toe into the world of exhibition fights, with his most recent outing against John Gotti III sparking a somewhat divided response from the world of combat sports.
Nevertheless, fight fans will always pay attention to what the widely respected star has to say.
Floyd Mayweather picks Vitali Klitschko to beat a prime Mike Tyson
In a recent interview with the Daily Mail, Mayweather was asked to share his thoughts on several fantasy matchups in the heavyweight division.
One of which was a prime-for-prime clash between Vitali Klitschko and Mike Tyson, two former world champions who paraded the land of the giants during a ruthless and formidable era.
Tyson, of course, is still a somewhat active fighter, as heavyweight rivals continue to call him out ahead of his clash with YouTube sensation Jake Paul on November 15.
And while the 58-year-old battles to keep his medical issues at bay, Klitschko has chosen to take a vastly different approach in his retirement, undergoing a decorated political career as the mayor of Kyiv, Ukraine.
But regardless of the contrasting paths they have now taken, Mayweather believes that Klitschko would have come out on top if the pair had met in their primes.
How would a Mike Tyson vs Vitali Klitschko fight have gone?
In this mouth-watering fantasy matchup between ‘Iron Mike’ and ‘Dr. Ironfist,’ the old bible verse – iron sharpens iron – appears to be almost poetically apt.
The brother of former heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko made a name for himself as a true warrior when he battled through a horrific cut in an enthralling fight against Lennox Lewis, only to be stopped in the sixth round.
Regardless, Klitschko went on to enjoy an illustrious career as well as Tyson who, after becoming the youngest heavyweight champion of all time, had swiftly earned himself the most fearsome reputation in boxing.
And while most would favour the ferociousness of a prime Tyson, there is, in truth, not much that separates the two powerhouses, but one suspects that a collision between the pair would have, at the very least, delivered fireworks from the opening bell.