Mikey Garcia is one of boxing’s underrated stars right now. In a time when charismatic fighters attract all the attention, the former world champion is still a serious threat. And now, legendary boxer Mike Tyson has shown his support for Garcia.
Garcia has been out of the ring for over a year now since his victory over Jessie Vargas. The former lightweight champion of the world is now training for his comeback. However, ahead of his return to the ring, he revisited his bout against Errol Spence Jr. with ‘Iron Mike.’
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The 40-1 boxer joined Tyson on an episode of ‘Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson.’ The legendary boxer brought up Garcia’s famous bout with unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. and said, “I was thinking, ‘what the f**k are you doing fighting Errol Spence?’”
Garcia explained his decision and said, “No one else wanted to step up.” ‘Iron Mike’ then admitted, “I didn’t believe you were down with him like that. I respect you so much after that fight.” Thus, with this comment, Tyson made no secret of his admiration for Garcia.
READ MORE: Why is Hotboxin WIth Mike Tyson Receiving Extreme Criticism?
Mikey Garcia tells Mike Tyson Errol Spence Jr. never hurt him
Tyson’s respect for Garcia comes from the fact that the American moved up from lightweight to welterweight to face Spence Jr. And although he explained he did it because no one else wanted it, it was still an enormous step up for Garcia. Thus, it showed his fearless attitude.
Garcia then broke down the fight and said, “I was never really hurt. Honestly, I never got stunned, never got hurt.” However, he recalled his father and brother worried about him and considered pulling him out of the bout.
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Ultimately, the fight went the distance and Garcia survived. However, the step-up in weight was too much for Garcia as Spence Jr. took home the unanimous decision victory. Regardless of the result, that fight earned Mikey Garcia a lot of respect.
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What do you make of this conversation between Mike Tyson and Mikey Garcia? Do you think Garcia’s decision to step up showed his elite mentality?
READ MORE: From Salad to Red Snapper, Here’s How Unified Champion Errol Spence Jr. Makes Weight for a Fight