Mike Tyson Failed to Set Precedent With MMA vs. Boxing Fight Against Bob Sapp; Michael Jai White Exposes the Secret

Published 04/21/2024, 10:23 AM EDT

In the world of combat sports, fan’s imaginations run wild with fantasy matchups. However, only a few, like the upcoming bout between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, actually come to fruition. The vast majority remain buried in dreams. One such dream matchup that never materialized was Mike Tyson vs. Bob Sapp.

The spark started in 2003 after Bob’s victory at K-1. When Sapp called out Mike Tyson after the fight, this sparked worldwide speculation about a potential fight between the two heavyweight champions. This callout surged excitement among fans who yearned to see them clash. However, despite public interest, the bout never materialized, leaving many questions unanswered. Recent comments by Michael Jai White on a podcast may finally illuminate why the matchup never happened.

Mike Tyson vs. Bob Sapp – why was it too good to be true?

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The fighters’ careers, logistical challenges, and other complexities of organizing a crossover mega fight – you could check all these hurdles off the list as to why Mike Tyson vs. Bob Sapp never came to fruition. This makes you wonder how Mayweather vs. McGregor came to be and then leaves you unsurprised that something similar has not happened since.

On his YouTube podcast, ‘JAXXON PODCAST,’ Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson interviewed Hollywood star and MMA expert Michael Jai White, who also trained Bob Sapp in the past, and revealed the reason behind the never materialized fight between Mike Tyson and Bob Sapp.

Michael Jai White said, “Man, that was all publicity, you know how that goes. Man, it could have happened! That could have been one of the first, uh, yeah, you know, kind of things like how we’re doing now with the boxing versus MMA kind of thing. That could have led the charge! But, you know, it never happened.”

Later, he also added that bringing ‘Iron’ Mike on board would have had a big impact on their finances. At that time, Mike Tyson was a big name in the boxing world, and getting him involved would have been very expensive. So, they decided to let it go. However, in 2020, the idea of their fight was sparked again by the legend Mike Tyson Himself.

Another attempt to book “Mike Tyson vs. Bob Sapp”

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After 15 years of retirement, “Iron Mike” famously announced his comeback plans in 2020, targeting Kevin McBride as his opponent. However, Tyson ultimately chose to face Roy Jones Jr. in an eight-round exhibition bout at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The fight ended in a draw.

However, as some fans remember, Mike Tyson’s first choice for his comeback wasn’t actually Kevin McBride. Instead, he initially set his sights on a fight with Bob Sapp. Talks then shifted to Evander Holyfield before ultimately landing on Roy Jones Jr.

A year before this Bob Sapp had uploaded a callout video on Instagram and challenged boxers to a fight. Sapp stated in the message, “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. That’s my challenge, you know my age. Fight me. Or my crew.”

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This message clearly shows that “The Beast” still wants to fight Mike Tson. As fans, we’re eager to wait and see, but we might not know for sure until after the Tyson vs. Paul fight. There’s still a chance ‘Iron’ Mike will fight more, even after defeating Jake Paul.

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Written by:

Ishan Yadav is a UFC Writer at EssentiallySports. With his experience handling social media for nearly a year for the ES team, this lifelong MMA fan might surprise you with his understanding of the sport's fan base. After graduation, Ishan turned his passion for mixed martial arts into a career path, specializing in UFC coverage.

Edited by:

Yeswanth Praveen

Mike Tyson Failed to Set Precedent With MMA vs. Boxing Fight Against Bob Sapp; Michael Jai White Exposes the Secret

Mike Tyson vs. Bob Sapp – why was it too good to be true?

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Another attempt to book “Mike Tyson vs. Bob Sapp”