LeBron James vs. Mike Tyson: Is This The Worst Sports Take in History?

Sports

 If DunkTopic wanted a hit tweet, they got it.

The Twitter account posed the question, “Who do you got?” with an image of LeBron James going up against “Iron” Mike Tyson in a boxing match in his prime. 

https://twitter.com/DunkTopic/status/1422580790936883200?s=20

It’s fair to say with over 9000 quote tweets and over 5000 comments, people were not happy with the idea.

Bron get slept early first around no question https://t.co/eaaEu2kHXS

— ♚Alvin. (@EsotericKing_) August 4, 2021

Let’s examine backgrounds first. Tyson was trained from the age of 13 in the sweet science of boxing and had “the most important qualities,” according to his coach, Constantine “Cus” D’Amato, which include “the will to win… the desire to win, and he wants to be the best.” These qualities made Tyson into a bred killer, who dominated his sport to become the youngest ever heavyweight champion in the world. It takes sheer will and determination to accomplish something that everyone thinks is delusional. On a podcast with Joe Rogan, Tyson said, “Delusion is only delusional when you don’t accomplish the goal of making your delusion a reality.”

Tyson’s mindset in his prime was one of discipline and determination to become the best ever. A documentary released about his life included an interview with d’Amato before he passed away. In the interview, D’Amato said, “Discipline enables a person to do that which needs to be done.” While James may have physically gifted attributes, this counts for little in the ring with a mentally concrete boxer. That’s the issue with this fantasy match-up with LeBron James.

According to D’Amato, “The physical part of boxing is so minor that most people would never believe it or accept it.” Mental toughness and training is where boxing is won and lost, “The mind and emotion is about 75% of boxing,” D’Amato said. D’Amato also forced Tyson to read the biography of Alexander the Great, so he could “see how a person from an empty place could become a conqueror of the world.” That’s how you build an unbreakable champion.

Meanwhile, this is the wisdom LeBron James gains from reading biographies if he ever gets past the first few pages.

https://twitter.com/Ybnlj2/status/1384631551334486018?s=20

Lebron James was a phenomenal high school athlete who was picked number one overall in the 2003 NBA draft. He has since built up strong teams to compete with and win four NBA titles.

Having a group of players to pick up when he’s having a bad game is a luxury Tyson was never afforded. The only person he could rely on in the ring was himself and his desire to conquer.

LeBron James also fails in the discipline category, as shown in the Sports Wars video below. James walked off the court with over five minutes remaining, as his Lakers were down double digits in an NBA playoff game against Phoenix.

The other issue is what we have seen before when elite athletes cross over into sports they have no business being in. CM Punk had been in professional wrestling for over a decade before stepping into the UFC octagon. Punk had some Jiu-Jitsu training prior to his UFC debut, earning himself a blue belt. However, he was handily destroyed when Mickey Gall submitted him with a rear-naked choke in the first round of the fight. Conor McGregor, a two-division UFC champion, who’s trained in boxing and is also a highly skilled mixed martial artist, still lost to a 40-year-old Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match. Even with two years of solid training, LeBron James would be absolutely destroyed in a match-up with Mike Tyson in his prime, no question. I would even argue Tyson would give him a decent fight today, at the age of 55.

Below is a video of Tyson training at age 53.