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ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – MARCH 06: Mike Tyson performs his one man show “Undisputed Truth” in the Music Box at the Borgata on March 6, 2020 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Photo by Donald Kravitz/Getty Images)
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ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – MARCH 06: Mike Tyson performs his one man show “Undisputed Truth” in the Music Box at the Borgata on March 6, 2020 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Photo by Donald Kravitz/Getty Images)
Kamaru Usman and Israel Adesanya are two of the best active MMA fighters in the world. The two Nigerian-born fighters have made their homeland proud by becoming UFC champions. And legendary boxer Mike Tyson has a suggestion for the two champions.
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‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ is the undisputed welterweight champion and is fresh off a stunning victory over Jorge Masvidal. Israel Adesanya, on the other hand, holds the undisputed middleweight title and is training for a rematch against Marvin Vettori.
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NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 01: UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman poses on stage during the UFC 245 press conference at the Hulu Theatre at Madison Square Garden on November 1, 2019 in New York, New York. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
The 50-6 boxer spoke to Usman’s manager Ali Abdelaziz on an episode of ‘Hotboxin with Mike Tyson.’ And when speaking about Usman and his potential move to middleweight, Tyson claimed the two champions should face each other.
‘Iron Mike’ then said, “If he’s my friend, and he really cares about me and cares about you, he should fight and get some money. How else are you going to make some money if you don’t fight?” Thus, this comment showed that Tyson believes the bout would be beneficial to them both.
READ MORE: Why is Hotboxin WIth Mike Tyson Receiving Extreme Criticism?
Why is Mike Tyson asking them to fight?
The comments come because of Usman saying he would only move up if Adesanya vacated the title. He confirmed that as long as Adesanya was the champion, he would not fight his friend. So why is ‘Iron Mike’ trying to get them to fight?
During his prime, Tyson fought the best in the division. He never shied away from any opponent and cemented his legacy in the sport. As a result, he will go down as one of the best fighters in history.
Although both Israel Adesanya and Kamaru Usman will certainly go down in the history books for being fantastic fighters, a super-fight like that would assure them icon status in the sport. Furthermore, as Tyson pointed out, they would earn a fortune for a fight like that.
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 05: UFC interim middleweight champion Israel Adesanya of New Zealand poses for the media during the UFC seasonal press conference at T-Mobile Arena on July 5, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
In addition, Usman has already fought a close friend when he beat Gilbert Burns. Therefore, it would not be as surprising if it happened. However, given the number of challengers in both their divisions, it is unlikely that they will face each other.
What do you make of these comments from Mike Tyson? Do you agree that Kamaru Usman should face Israel Adesanya?
READ MORE: 3 Best and Worst Fights From Mike Tyson’s Phenomenal Record
