Boxing: Mike Tyson Plays Down Deontay Wilder’s Taunt: ‘He’s Supposed To Think That Way’

Boxing legend Mike Tyson is not in any way troubled about Deontay Wilder’s brickbat, saying the boxing superstar has all the right to talk the way he did being the heavyweight champion that he is.

The reigning WBC Heavyweight champion earlier spoke with TMZ Sports where he boldly claimed that he would beat Iron Mike if they crossed paths inside the ring during that latter's heyday in the ’80s.

"Me vs. Tyson in '86, I'd kick the hell outta that guy. Listen, I've got to keep it real. I know people always go back to the old school or look at the new school and there's no school where I'm not No. 1 on earth," Wilder said.

Uncharacteristically, however, the Hall of Famer said in response, "I don't know (whether I'd beat him).” Tyson expressed his humble reaction in a recent interview with BT Sports, adding that he would think the same way if he was still fighting. "I love the fact that he thinks that because that's the way I would think as well. He's supposed to think that way, he is the heavyweight champion of the world and that's something very special," Tyson said.

But while Tyson made nothing of Wilder’s taunt, Lennox Lewis, a former heavyweight champion as well, controverted the 34-year-old’s statement. "I just heard Deontay Wilder said he would destroy a young Mike Tyson. My thoughts are that it's easy to talk until you actually get in the ring. I like Wilder but he's never been in there with someone that ferocious who truly wants to break his ribs with every punch. I don't see it," Lewis said.

Wilder is set to take the boxing stage again this weekend in Las Vegas in a rematch for his WBC belt against Tyson Fury - a fighter ironically named after the 53-year-old icon. Their first bout in December 2018 ended in a controversial split draw that kept the belt on Wilder’s rack. The Bronze Bomber remains undefeated in 43 fights with the draw being the only stain in his professional record.