Boxing legend Mike Tyson anticipates the worlds of MMA and boxing to come together more frequently in the future.
In the past, we’ve seen crossover with MMA and the “sweet science.” James Toney tried his hand in the UFC against Randy Couture and Conor McGregor stepped inside the boxing ring with Floyd Mayweather. Tyson is a fan of both worlds colliding and he hopes to see it often.
Mike Tyson Predicts More MMA-Boxing Crossover
The Sportsman interviewed Tyson, who gave his thoughts on more crossover events with MMA and boxing.
“I think that’s pretty awesome! He was the first to do that. I like that. It’s going to happen more, absolutely. I don’t know how well we would’ve done fighting them – it always depends on under which rules you’re fighting.”
Tyson went on to say that while many view fighting as something negative, he believes there’s another side to it.
“Boxing is such an enigma, as a sport. This is what really matters: in two hundred years from now, there will probably only be five fighters that people will remember. That’s what it’s all about. It’s not about having money, about becoming rich. That they won’t stop mentioning your name until the planet’s disintegrated: that’s what this is really about. People are stating their names in the art of pugilist, fisticuff, combat, fighting. I like the word “fighting”. That’s not a politically correct word in this field anymore. Fighting is not cool, now. It can conjure up negative stuff, but not if you use it in a spiritual perspective. Fighting is spiritual, but you just can’t see the spiritual in it because it’s mostly dominated by the physical aspect. We want to be Achilles in our own mind. The king of all the fighters.”
UFC president Dana White has been working on Zuffa Boxing. The UFC boss has admitted that there have been bumps in the road in getting it off the ground. Many are skeptical of White’s efforts as he is used to controlling his fighters in the UFC, which would make it a tough sell to acquire boxers if he plans to use the same format.
Some have criticized talk of MMA fighters stepping into the world of boxing and vice versa. The feeling is that if you’re a boxer, you’ll get smoked inside an MMA cage or ring. The same can be said for MMA fighters who put the boxing gloves on to compete.
