Comparing two legendary figures from different eras is difficult. Because of this, the GOAT debate never ends or gets boring. People often argue about who is better, for instance, Mike Tyson or Robert De Niro. Choosing between these two legendary icons from different professions, though, becomes more challenging.
There is no definitive answer when someone asks about pitting De Niro against Tyson. But the 56-year-old former professional boxer once shared his perspective.
Despite not competing for nearly ten years, Mike Tyson is still strong in his field. Also known as ‘Iron Mike’, he is even curious to see how he would perform in a match with some of the best boxers or (even non-boxers).
However, he did say who he thought would win between himself and the Taxi Driver actor. Take a look at what he said.
Who Could Defeat Mike Tyson?
Since leaving the square ring, Mike Tyson has appeared often in contemporary media, including film and television, becoming just as well-known as his boxing resume.
And while other famous athletes and sports figures of his era gradually faded into the background of popular culture, he continued to command the world’s attention. However, the former heavyweight was intrigued as to how he would execute in a match against some of the greatest boxers in history, both actual and imagined.
During his appearance on The Nightly Show, American comedian, writer, producer, and actor, Larry Wilmore named a number of opponents that Tyson admitted he would not be able to defeat.
These were the opponents Tyson was aware he would lose to: Muhammad Ali, Million Dollar Baby, Jake LaMotta, and Robert De Niro of The Godfather films (young Vito Corleone).
To be fair, the only reason he gave for why Niro would win was that his character (Vito Corleone) is armed with weapons.
The Fighters He Would Definitely Beat
The boxing phenom, Mike Tyson, 56, is unquestionably one of the greatest heavyweight boxing champions the world has ever seen.
Between 1985 and 2005, the renowned boxer ruled the ring with his masterful grappling techniques, which led to several championship victories. Back in 2015, he himself confessed on The Nightly Show that he could easily defeat some of the fighters if ever engaged in a fight.
Some of the fighters he could easily beat were Joe Lewis, Apollo Creed, and Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) from the Rocky franchise. Strangely, he mentioned all of the Rocky movies, except Rocky V.
Well, it is doubtful that we will ever get to see Tyson and Robert De Niro square off in person. But in the meantime, it is fun to imagine what might happen if these two titans of their respective fields got into a fight.
Until then, the question of whether De Niro would have a chance against Tyson in a fight continues to be discussed.