By Jose Espinoza: Mike Tyson appeared on Comedy Central’s “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore” where he made some startling comments about the sport that helped make him a household name.
Speaking on old school fighters like himself, Mike Tyson made the reference that boxers in his day came fought for something different than fighters today. “I came from hell and every match I won was a step out of that world. Each victory would bring me closer to immortal glory,” said the former heavyweight champion. A sentiment that was echoed boxing manager and fellow panelist Jackie Kallen, who said: “fighter’s in the 80’s and 90’s would fight anybody because they needed to be the best. And to be the best you had to fight the best.”
Beyond the financial objective that seem to be the main focus of modern day fighters; both Tyson and Kallen agreed that boxing has become second place to other fighting sports.
When asked about what advice he would give up and coming boxers, Tyson responded emphatically: “go to MMA.” He was of course referring to mixed martial arts fighting that is now becoming extremely popular in North America through leagues such as UFC.
Tyson who was able to escape the slums of New York through the sport of boxing and made millions in the process. It’s worth noting that Tyson lost his fortune through his poor investments and from being swindled by his own manager, Don King.
These comments by Tyson that boxing is in a declining state are not the first to be heard but it’s troubling to know that more and more these days those comments are making their way to the surface.
http://www.cc.com/video-clips/zrw4s8/the-nightly-show-panel—boxing
Comments are closed.