In his day, Mike Tyson was one of the most watchable fighters on the planet.
The ferocious heavyweight from Brownsville, Brooklyn won the world heavyweight championship at age 20 and continued to strike fear into opponents until he was shockingly knocked out by James ‘Buster’ Douglas in 1990.
A subsequent stint in prison saw Tyson out of the ring for many of his prime fighting years, but on his return he still delivered entertaining nights under the lights, going up against the likes of Frank Bruno, Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis.
In an interview with the Pound 4 Pound podcast, Tyson was asked to name his top five favourite fighters to watch…
Benavidez is a two-time super-middleweight champion who recently won the WBC Interim Light-Heavyweight belt, putting him in line for a shot at the full title in the future, currently held by Artur Beterbiev. Currently undefeated, the man fans want to see him and his all-action style in against most is Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. Next up is David Morrell.
Gervonta Davis
‘Tank’ Davis could be the hardest puncher, pound-for-pound, in the entire sport. With just two men hearing the final bell against him in 30 fights, his explosive shots have catapulted him to stardom. The 29-year-old holds the WBA Lightweight World Title and will face Lamont Roach Jr next.
Shakur Stevenson
By CompuBox numbers, Stevenson is one of the least hittable fighters in the sport. A three-weight world champion at the age of 27, he is currently alongside ‘Tank’ in the lightweight ranks holding the WBC belt. Shakur is sidelined with a hand injury but has said he will return in February of 2025 to face number one contender William Zepeda.
Terence Crawford
Crawford is the latest four-weight world champion in the sport having won belts at 135, 140, 147 and 154 pounds. He tops many pound-for-pound lists given his switch-hitting and punishing fighting style is yet to be deciphered in 41 contests. Like Benavidez, he’s in the market for a fight against Canelo, though that would require jumping up a further two divisions.
Errol Spence Jr
Spence was undefeated in 28 fights before coming up against ‘Bud’ Crawford last year and losing in the undisputed welterweight fight. With wins over the likes of Shawn Porter, Kell Brook and Mikey Garcia, fans would like to see him come again and a return up at super-welterweight has been touted.
