Getty Mike Tyson
Boxing icon Mike Tyson was recently hit with a fight challenge from MMA powerhouse Bob Sapp.
Sapp, 48, has a professional mixed martial arts record of 12-20-1 and is 12-19 in kickboxing. The titan of a man, whose moniker is “The Beast,” stands at 6’5″ and has weighed in at over 300 pounds in the past.
Sapp shared a video on Instagram of himself calling out “Iron Mike.” According to Tyson, the two were in talks of competing in an exhibition boxing match in 2020, but the bout never came to fruition. Instead, Tyson boxed his fellow legend, Roy Jones Jr.
“I know Bob Sapp is a very big [and] strong, but if he fights me under boxing rules I could handle him,” Tyson told TMZ that year.
Well, The Beast still wants the 55-year-old boxer.
“Mike, now we all know what happened when you and I talked about the fight,” Sapp said in the video via BJPenn.com. “I sent you a photo along with this sentence: ‘Mike if you fight me I will rip your heart out and tear it to shreds.’ And it still applies.”
“As for you, Mike. I’ve got a challenge for you,” Sapp continued. “Since you stopped running, listen to me for a second. You and me and two of my best fighters vs two of your best fighters. Stand up, Marquess of Queensbury Rules. Because you’re too scared to fight one on one. I’ll take all of you on, punk boxers. I like little Michael. I like little Michael. That’s my challenge you know my age. Fight me. Or my crew.”
Watch the video below via the Instagram embed:
Tyson Fury Recently Said He’d Be Interesting in Boxing Tyson in an Exhibition Match
Earlier this year, WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury stopped Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium in London, England.
After his sixth-round victory, the undefeated boxer announced that he was retiring from the sport. Weeks later, the “Gypsy King” revealed that he still wants to battle in exhibition matches, which includes a potential pairing with Iron Mike.
“Every time you wake up it’s a fight because you’re fighting to survive,” Fury said to Mirror Sport in a recent interview. “Every day I get out of bed it’s a fight, whether I’m fighting in the boxing ring or fighting in life. Whatever you’re fighting for, whatever your cause is, it’s never easy. I’m hoping to do some exhibitions and things like that, I’ve got some big stuff coming up at the end of the year, so we’re looking forward to that.
“But you never say never to getting back into the ring — it’s not like I’m 52. I’m 33 years old, I can come back whenever if I wanted to. For now, I’m happily contented, and I might do a few exhibitions, Mike Tyson or one of the Klitschkos, someone like that, the showbiz and entertainment stuff. It’s something people are interested these days.”
Sapp Hasn’t Competed in Combat Sports Since 2018
The last time fans saw The Beast fight was during a mixed martial arts match against Osunaarashi at Rizin 13 in September 2018. He earned a unanimous decision win, Sapp’s first victory in MMA since 2010.
He also battled in a kickboxing match earlier that year. But, it didn’t go nearly as well for Sapp. He was finished in the first round via TKO by Selcuk Ustabasi.