“Listen, if you’re asking me if I was 20 years old, then yes, there’s no doubt.”
Mike Tyson has claimed he would have beaten British duo Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury in his prime.
Tyson won his first world title at the age of 20 and went on to become undisputed heavyweight champion.
His standout wins are against Larry Holmes, Frank Bruno, Trevor Berbick and Michael Spinks.
The boxing legend returned in 2020 to fight fellow American Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition and has insisted he will fight again.
Joshua and Fury – who currently own the heavyweight division with all four major world titles – were set to face off before a court arbitration ordered Fury to face Deontay Wilder in a rematch.
Fury will fight Wilder for a third time on October 9 while Joshua is in action against Oleksandr Usyk in September.
Tyson, 55, believes there would be ‘no doubt’ about the outcome had he fought both men in his prime.
“Yes. Listen, if you’re asking me if I was 20 years old, then yes, there’s no doubt.” Tyson said on his Hotboxin’ podcast.
“They’re really good fighters and I respect all these skills. It would have been very tough fighting them.”
Tyson admitted he was impressed by Fury’s performance in his first fight against Wilder, which ended in a dramatic draw.
“In the first fight I was hoping for Tyson Fury, I always pulled for him because he was named after me, that is the natural thing to do, right?
“He amazed a lot of people by getting up. He showed he is tough, he got up and won the final round. I thought it was over, then he got up and it was like Rocky, he then fought back. It was amazing, it made me a fan. It takes great fortitude and belief.
“Hey, I really like him. You know what he is? He’s really a breath of fresh air,” Tyson said when talking about AJ.
“He’s really clean, he really looks clean, he’s a clean guy, he’s a clean fighter, he’s a good puncher.
“You just wish the best for him. I don’t know. My ego says, ‘nobody would beat you’ – but you look at him and… he just looks beautiful.
“He just looks like a fighter, you know? He looks like he was born to do what he has to do. He needs more experience of course, but that will come in life.”
The American took a heavy beating and got knocked out inside seven rounds. Prior to his defeat, the “Bronze Bomber” insisted he would have knocked out Tyson at his peak.
“Me vs. Tyson in ’86, I’d kick the hell outta that guy,” Wilder said. “Listen, I’ve got to keep it real. I know people always go back to the old school or look at the new school and there’s no school where I’m not number one on earth.”
Replying to what he said, Tyson was unsure as to whether he would be able to deal with the one punch power Wilder possesses.
“I don’t know. I love the fact that he thinks that, because that’s the way I would think as well. “He’s supposed to think that way, he is the heavyweight champion of the world and that’s something very special.”
