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Watch: Mega Luxury Mike Tyson Boxing Club Opens in Riyadh to Boost the Sport in Arab

Published 10/30/2023, 2:36 AM EDT

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‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ is back! Last Saturday, Mike Tyson once again left a massive impression on the sporting world. How his student and friend Francis Ngannou fought and even brought down the WBC Heavyweight boxing champion in round 3 speaks volumes about his training. The event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, had been an enormous success. Incredible opportunities appear due to the region’s growing interest in boxing.

Now, to tap into the surging popularity and to provide opportunities and nurture raw talents, a new avenue has opened in the capital city. Perhaps more significantly, it comes alongside the Mike Tyson mystique. The head of Riyadh Season shared a clip of the youngest Heavyweight champion inaugurating the first ‘Mike Tyson Boxing Gym’ in Riyadh through social media. Unsurprisingly, within hours, over 100 followers gave their likes.

A look inside the opulent Mike Tyson Boxing Club

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So, Mr. Turki Al Alshikh, who heads Riyadh Season, shared an update early today through his Instagram account. His message read, “The Legendary boxing champion “Mike Tyson” opens up his own boxing club in partnership with Riyadh Season. Which contributes to boxing in the Kingdom🇸🇦.” The footage begins with close shots of different facilities, pieces of equipment, and multiple rings available at the gym. New and old classic photos of Mike Tyson could be seen adorning the walls.

Then, one by one, MMA stars and boxing legends like Junior Dos Santos, Larry Holmes, and Evander Holyfield came. Finally, Mike Tyson made his entry. After signing a couple of gloves and photos, he and Joe Gallagher entered a ring together. Tyson even took up a pair of pads for a youngster to try a few punches.

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By September, news came around that the Riyadh Season would rope in the services of renowned boxing trainer Joe Gallagher to manage the facility, a first in the world. Mike Tyson would be critical in helping the venue scout up-and-coming talent and providing professional training. The former world champion has become a familiar face in Saudi Arabia. As always, he was one of the star attractions when Jake Paul fought Tommy Fury at the Diriyah Arena in February. But at the time, he was more of a boxing elder.

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‘The Predator’ aims high with his new guru

This time, his participation was more direct as Francis Ngannou’s trainer. So, it was a shocking announcement to many. Early in August, it became clear that Mike Tyson would join the former UFC Heavyweight champion’s team for his pro-boxing debut. Dewey Cooper had been helping Ngannou. However, Tyson’s joining changed the game. The Cameroonian-French fighter took Tyson Fury the entire distance. He even convincingly fought to force a loss by a split decision. For a mixed martial artist fighting his first professional boxing match, it couldn’t have been a more prominent and legitimate announcement of his arrival.

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What is your opinion? Given Francis Ngannou’s performance, do you think Mike Tyson should undertake more training assignments? Please share your views with us in the comments below.

Watch This Story: Watch: Mike Tyson and John Fury Steal the Show as They Go Back-and-Forth at Tyson Fury vs. Francis Ngannou Final Press Conference

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Written by:

Jaideep R Unnithan

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Jaideep Unnithan is a writer for boxing at Essentially Sports. Having written over 900 articles, he has been an astute chronicler of recent developments happening inside and outside of the squared circle. Having a keen eye on the punches traded inside the squared circle, he has written opinion pieces on the fighting styles of Floyd Mayweather Jr, David Benavidez, and Terence Crawford.
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Edited by:

Snigdhaa Jaiswal