Boxing legend Mike Tyson once talked about the possibility of facing Bruce Lee, the legend of Eastern martial arts.
Bruce Lee is known as a famous martial artist, the creator of Jeet Kune Do and is considered by many to be the father of MMA. Meanwhile, Mike Tyson is a famous boxing star and a popular figure in American pop culture. In 2019, Mike Tyson talked about facing Bruce Lee in a hypothetical fight.
On journalist Ariel Helwani’s show, Ariel and Mike Tyson talked about Bruce Lee. Ariel told Mike Tyson: “On the Dan Levy Charge show recently, they asked me who would win in a no-holds-barred fight at the peak of his powers? Mike Tyson or Bruce Lee? I picked you. Was that the right choice?”
Tyson replied: “Thanks a lot. I think you’re right too. Look, if Bruce Lee actually beat me in a fight, I would think this is an interesting world, because that shouldn’t happen.”
” Okay, if there were no rules, Bruce Lee could kick, knee, and do everything else, and you could only punch. Who do you think would win? “, journalist Ariel Helwani asked. Mike Tyson replied, implying that he could beat both Bruce Lee and Floyd Mayweather because both of them were much lighter than him.
“It would be like me fighting Floyd Mayweather on the street. He’s pretty much the same size, 135 pounds,” Mike Tyson said.
“At his peak, Mike Tyson weighed nearly 220 pounds,” Ohmymag explains . “That weight allowed him to defeat martial arts master Bruce Lee without much trouble in a street fight. He also made similar comments about boxer Floyd Mayweather.”
Although he believed he could beat Bruce Lee, Mike Tyson greatly respected the martial arts legend’s philosophy of life and fighting.
In a 2017 interview, Mike Tyson shared: “Bruce Lee had a great philosophy of life, which amazed me. Bruce Lee was like an assassin. He taught that you should do as much damage to your opponent as possible, then retreat. You know what I mean? Don’t get hurt, do as little damage to yourself as possible.
We have great respect for Bruce Lee’s philosophy. It is like the philosophy of the ultimate warrior. Life is like water, fighting is like water. It is truly profound . ”