Here's why Sylvester Stallone blatantly rejected Mike Tyson's offer to feature in one of the 'Rocky' fightsÂ
Sylvester Stallone once opened up about why he refused Mike Tyson's offer to feature in one of the Rocky films.
Rocky is one of the biggest and most popular boxing movie franchises. It has a total of nine movies, with the first release being in 1976 and the last in March 2023, which was Creed III. The movie franchise has featured a lot of notable boxers over the years, like Canelo Alvarez, Pedro Lovell, and more.
Interestingly, Mike Tyson also wanted to be a part of the movie and be the final opponent of Sylvester Stallone's Rocky in the 2006 film Rocky Balboa. However, Stallone wasn't too keen on having Tyson as his opponent. Speaking about it during an interview back in 2007, the Hollywood actor had this to say (H/T Boxing Scene):
"Mike wanted to fight me in this film but I thought it was a bad idea. I know I'm not that young, but I'm still too young to die. I said, 'Thanks, but I don't think that would be a very good idea. Thank you very much.' But he kept calling the office saying he wanted to be in the film fighting me."
He added:
"Eventually, I relented and said he could be in the audience. Then I never heard from him. Suddenly, when I turn up in the ring he's there at the side. I turned around and said to the crew, 'Can you make sure you keep that son of a bitch out of the ring. If he gets in he'll kill me.' The man's a killer."
Mike Tyson speaks about training Francis Ngannou for his fight against Tyson Fury
Mike Tyson has taken up the role of a coach for Francis Ngannou's upcoming fight against Tyson Fury in October. Eight months following his UFC exit, the former heavyweight champion of the promotion is set to take on 'The Gypsy King' in what would be his boxing debut.
To prepare for it, Ngannou brought Mike Tyson to his training camp. Speaking about training the former UFC champion and his boxing skills, Tyson recently took to X (formerly Twitter) and had this to say:
"I am not easily impressed, but @Francis_Ngannou knows how to box. THIS is what dedication looks like. #FuryNgannou #RiyadhSeason"
Check out his tweet below: