MIKE TYSON once threatened to KILL broadcast great Jim Gray.
But the pair quickly patched things up and have been friends for decades now.
ReutersMike Tyson, Jim Gray and Lennox Lewis in 2002[/caption]
Gray began his career broadcasting boxing in 1977 – with Tyson’s electrifying and meteoric rise to the heavyweight title coming ten years later.
The ringside reporter – working for Showtime in the US – covered the highs and the lows of Tyson’s life and career and the wrath that came with it.
“I never had a problem with Mike. Of course, one time in an interview he threatened to kill me!” Gray told SunSport from the Hall of Excellence in Las Vegas’ Fontainebleau hotel.
“Threatened to kill me and Don King, and then about 20 seconds later he kissed me on the cheek, so I’m still trying to figure out what’s more disturbing!
“So Mike was volatile, Mike had moments, but Mike was wonderful too.
“We were all lucky to be on that ride with him because that ride had so many twists and turns, so many ups and downs, and it went all over the place.
“You never knew what you were going to get and the unpredictability of him, you know, it was great.”
Tyson retired in 2005 after two dismal defeats to Britain’s Danny Williams and American journeyman Kevin McBride.
Canelo vs Crawford – All the info
IT’S finally time – one of the biggest boxing matches EVER takes place THIS WEEKEND.
Two of boxing’s GOATs will meet in the ring as they fight for pound-for-pound supremacy and the super-middleweight crown.
Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Terence Crawford have been fixtures in the top of the rankings for years and are considered among the best to ever do it.
Unbeaten Crawford, who beat Israil Madrimov to win the light-middleweight title last time out, hasn’t fought for a year.
He is jumping up two weight divisions to meet Canelo, having spent most of his career weighing in even lighter.
Mexican favourite Canelo has scored title defences over Edgar Berlanga and William Scull since Crawford was last inside a ring.
Here’s all the info for this must-watch fight…
INFO
Everything you need to know for the big fight
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Is the fight free to watch or PPV on Netflix?
What belts are on the line?
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But he made a shock return in 2020 for an exhibition bout against fellow great Roy Jones Jr – which ended in a draw.
It looked to have been a brief nostalgic cameo until Jake Paul brought Iron Mike – 58 at the time – back for a controversial comeback fight.
Despite the bout being over eight shorter rounds of two minutes – Paul’s points win counted towards Tyson’s professional record.
But the veteran boxing great survived an ulcer flare up in May – which postponed the initial July fight date with Paul.
Tyson was left hospitalised only months before eventually hobbling back into the ring – leaving him lucky to have made it out unscathed.
“He spent a long time, a couple of weeks in the hospital with several blood transfusions with a bleeding ulcer, and he was lucky to be alive,” Gray said.
“So the fact that he went ahead and did the fight and he survived the fight was not a great performance, obviously, but at age whatever he was at that moment, 58 to stay on your feet, and I also thought that Jake Paul was a tremendous competitor.
“He had tremendous humanity and dignity because he could have hurt Mike and he didn’t.
“And just as somebody who loves Mike and loves the sport of boxing, I appreciated the way that he handled himself and approached it.”
Tyson’s time in the ring worryingly does not look to be coming to an end having signed to face unbeaten great Floyd Mayweather in 2026.
Gray – on Netflix’s broadcast team for Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford – fears for Tyson but knows there will be no talking him out of it.
“I love Mike. He’s a dear friend, I care about him, I love his wife Kiki, I just don’t want to see Mike get hurt.
“But what Mike wants to do, Mike makes his own decisions,” he said.
“And so if this is the decision that he makes, it doesn’t really matter what I think.
“It’s what he thinks and he thinks this is what he wants to do and if he goes ahead and does it, I just hope he doesn’t get hurt.”
GettyGray and Tyson have become good friends over the years[/caption] Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
