Mike Tyson may have retired from the sport but his opinions are of great relevance to the boxing world. He is the host of the popular podcast named, “Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson”. On the podcast, he discusses topics related to the sport and many other things which interest the public. Recently, the former heavyweight champion was asked who, according to him, is an underrated boxer in the sport currently.
At times, the boxing community gets too caught up in watching boxers who rank high in marketability. Naturally, a lot of boxers, who are not particularly great at the show business aspect of boxing get neglected despite having impressive skillset. Tyson, speaking to ESPN’s “First Take”, weighed in on who he thinks is underrated and also stated his reason for the same.
Who is the most underrated boxer, according to Tyson?
According to Tyson, Naoya Inoue is one boxer who does not get the publicity he deserves. Inoue is a professional bantamweight boxer fighting out of Japan. In his 24 bouts, the Japanese fighter managed to secure 21 knockouts under his belt.
Tyson revealed his choice of the most underrated boxer and also stated his reason behind selecting the 30-year-old boxer. He stated, “The guy who’s fighting Stephen Fulton – Naoya Inoue. No one knows him because he’s in one of those really small weight divisions, but wow he’s exciting. That fight’s gonna be amazing.”
Tyson is right in pointing out that, a boxer in a lower-weight category can also be an exciting fighter. Inoue has impeccable speed and agility which fetched the 30-year-old an undefeated boxing record. With time, he is only going to get better and Tyson finds it necessary to give the credit that the bantamweight fighter deserves.