TASS, August 10. Russia’s world-renowned mixed martial arts (MMA) heavyweight veteran Fedor Emelianenko would like to take on legendary ex-heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson of the United States in the boxing ring, the MMAFighting.com sports web portal reported.
"MMA is done, 100%," the sports web portal quoted Emelianenko as saying. "I’m not going back to MMA. I want to try myself in boxing. I think that’s going to be interesting."
"We watched the fight on TV of Roy Jones Jr. vs. Mike Tyson. Mike Tyson would be an interesting fight," Emelianenko, one of the world’s greatest MMA fighters, said.
In November 2020, Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr., who were 54 and 51 years old, respectively, at the time, squared off in the ring, but referees called it a draw after the bout went the full eight rounds.
"He [Tyson] has a big name; he’s a legend," Emelianenko continued. "It would be interesting because you can see a lot of his videos on YouTube and all over the place, he’s still in good shape. He still works pads; he still has that same power."
Emelianenko, 46, boasts an official MMA record of 40 wins (16 by KO/TKO; 15 by submission and nine by decision) and seven defeats (six by KO/TKO; one by submission).
Russia’s MMA heavyweight legend, who will turn 47 years old next month, said "but I started boxing when I was 23."
"Over half of my life I’ve done boxing. Everybody knows that I’m mostly a wrestler, sambo, judo. I was on the national sambo and judo teams, but you can see in my fights that I’m pretty good at boxing as well. Of course, I’m not as good as Mike Tyson, but it would be interesting," Emelianenko said.
Mike Tyson
Legendary American boxer and former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world Mike Tyson holds a record of 50 wins (44 by KO) and six defeats in his professional boxing career.
The US fighter, who officially wrapped up his professional career in 2005, holds the record for being the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF belts, becoming undisputed champion at the age of 20. He won his first 19 professional bouts by knockout.
Tyson, a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame, was the first-ever heavyweight to simultaneously hold the WBC, WBA and IBF championship belts and the only fighter to successfully unify them.
'The Last Emperor': Fedor Emelianenko
The MMA star had temporarily retired between 2012 and 2015. During that hiatus, Emelianenko held the post of president of the Russian MMA Union and also served from November 2012 as an advisor to then-Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko.
Following his 2015 comeback, Emelianenko had eight bouts, defeating India’s Jaideep Singh, then clinching another victory over Brazil’s Fabio Maldonado. In June 2017, he lost by TKO to US fighter Matt Mitrione. In April 2018, he defeated US heavyweight Frank Mir with a KO win in the first round, and in October 2018 he enjoyed a TKO triumph over American fighter Chael Sonnen. In January 2019, he lost by TKO (punches) to Ryan "Darth" Bader of the United States and then knocked out US fighter Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in December 2019.
In September 2022, Emelianenko defeated 35-year-old Timothy Johnson of the United States with a KO win in the opening round of their Bellator 269 tournament fight in Moscow.
Born on September 28, 1976, in Rubezhnoye, Ukraine, Emelianenko fought his way to the top, earning numerous titles throughout his career.
He is the MMA Pride Fighting Championships Heavyweight Champion (2003-2007), FIAS World Combat Sambo Championship Heavyweight Champion 2002, 2005, 2007, and the Russian Judo Federation National Championship bronze medalist (1998, 1999).
In 2009, the esteemed American sports magazine, Sports Illustrated, named him "the top MMA fighter of the decade."