When Will Smith released a song suggesting he could beat a prime Mike Tyson in a boxing match
Mike Tyson and Will Smith have always shared a cordial relationship. Back in 1989 when Smith was widely recognized by the name of 'The Fresh Prince', he made a bold claim of beating Tyson in a boxing match, although jokingly.
Smith was one-half of the popular hip hop duo, 'DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince'. On the back of two successful studio albums, his popularity as a rapper was on the rise. In 1989, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince released their third album 'And in This Corner', which carried a track called 'I think I can beat Mike Tyson'.
The song depicted a lighthearted, comedy rap genre that the hip hop duo was always involved in. It was the first single from the album. The popularity of the song also helped them earn a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Performance.
In the song, The Fresh Prince argues that Tyson wouldn't be able to knock him out if they were to fight. The two indeed shared the boxing ring in the music video, with Tyson finishing The Fresh Prince in the first round.
You can watch the music video of I think I can beat Mike Tyson below:
Famous boxing promoter Don King and legendary comedian Chris Rock were also featured in the song.
"He is wild" - Mike Tyson on shooting the music video with Will Smith
In an episode of Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson, the legendary boxer shed light on his experience of working with Will Smith. Tyson said he had a great relationship with Smith, and that he had a good time shooting the video of 'I think I can beat Mike Tyson'.
Mike Tyson also revealed that Smith drove his car at "full speed" all the way to Tyson's house in Ohio just to shoot the video.
'Iron Mike' was undefeated when the song was released. Shortly after the song came out, Tyson suffered the first defeat of his boxing career against Buster Douglas in February of 1990.
The former heavyweight champion is currently looking to compete in an exhibition boxing match opposite Lennox Lewis in September later this year.