Highlights
Tyson returned to his childhood hometown this week and met up with fellow heavyweight legend Briggs.
The pair squared off with one another on the streets, much to the delight of watching fans.
Tyson took his shirt off during the brawl and looks in great shape ahead of his July showdown with Jake Paul.
As Mike Tyson returned to his childhood home of Brooklyn, the former heavyweight champion of the world decided that he wanted to give the locals a show of his physical strength ahead of his highly anticipated clash with Jake Paul this summer.
The 57-year-old made his way to Brownsville, where he reunited with old friend and former world heavyweight titleholder Shannon ‘The Cannon’ Briggs.
As the pair toured their old stomping ground, crowds soon gathered and it wasn’t long before the two icons were going at it on the streets for the fans’ entertainment.
Mike Tyson and Shannon Briggs Brawl on the Streets of New York
As far as street fights go in Brooklyn, this wasn’t one for the ages.
The two fighters – who never met in the ring professionally – started sparring one another with their shirts off, much to the approval of those around them.
The action ended when Briggs lifted his pal in the air and promptly placed him back down, as everyone involved began to smile. Iron Mike tweeted the video, captioning it: “Brownsville’s finest always ready for a brawl. Love this guy.”
Tyson has always been open about his struggles when living in Brownsville as a child. He was only 10 years old when he moved into the area – and by the time he was 13 – he had been to jail on 35 occasions.
In his 2013 autobiography, Tyson delved into stories about his childhood and experiences growing up in the Brownsville province. He referred to himself and his friends at the time as ‘menaces’ and that the area was known for being a harsh environment to survive in.
Tyson life turned about when he was sent to the Tyron School for Boys as punishment for his involvement in a burglary.
What at the time looked like the start of a life packed with jail terms was actually a blessing for Tyson, as he was introduced to boxing trainer Cus D’Amato. The partnership would change the young boy’s life and ultimately lead to Tyson becoming the youngest heavyweight champion ever, aged just 20.
Tyson finished his professional career with a record of 50 wins and six losses and is perhaps the most iconic heavyweight fighter of all time.
Although his last true fight was in 2005, a loss to Kevin McBride, Tyson is still keeping active and is looking to put an end to Jake Paul’s boxing career, when the pair meet for an exhibition fight on July the 20th.
The fight will stream live on Netflix and is to be staged at the AT&T stadium in Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys.
Tyson, who will be 58 come fight night, isn’t afraid of his age getting to him and looked in great shape when last competing in the ring.He faced former four-weight world champion Roy Jones Jr in November 2020.
Although an exhibition, the fight, which was scored a draw, sold over 1.5 million PPV buys.
His fight with ‘The Problem Child’ is expected to be an even greater success. As Iron Mike showed when taking to the streets of Brooklyn, he is still in great condition today.
Can Tyson reproduce the fearsome power of his prime? Or will the youth of Paul be enough to stop the former heavyweight champion? We will find out in July.