"Your response, baby" - Mike Tyson asks Stephen Fulton to fight Shakur Stevenson
Mike Tyson pitched a fight with Shakur Stevenson to Stephen Fulton Jr., the Super Bantamweight Champion, on his show Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson. In a conversation with the boxer, Tyson said:
"He wants to fight you. I see that, Shakur wants to fight you. Your response, baby."
Fulton laughed at the comment but later said that it would be a good fight. Tyson also proposed Gary Russell Jr. as an opponent, and Fulton agreed that he would be another good challenger, saying:
"Those both would be great fights and I'm open to that. I'm open to fights like that... when I get there and he's [Stevenson] there, and the fight presents itself, then I'm all for it."
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Stephen Fulton is the WBO and WBC Super Bantamweight Champion. He also briefly held the IBO title in 2019. Though he vacated the belt, he has not lost a single fight and currently has a record of 20-0 with eight knockouts. Fulton will defend his belts against Daniel 'Danny' Roman in Minneapolis, Minnesota this weekend.
Check out the full conversation between Mike Tyson and Stephen Fulton here:
Mike Tyson's first World Title fight
Mike Tyson turned pro in 1985 and had 15 fights in his first year, all of which he won by knockout or stoppage. He fought 13 times the following year, including bouts with Jose Ribalta, Mitch Green, and Marvis Frazier. His final fight of the year was against Trevor Berbick, who held the WBC Heavyweight Title.
The fight between Tyson and Berbick was held on November 22, 1986 at the Las Vegas Hilton. Berbick had recently claimed the title from Pinklon Thomas. He was most well-known for his win over Muhammad Ali in the legendary champion's final bout. Tyson dominated the bout and knocked Berbick out in the second round.
OTD 1986 - Mike Tyson KO 2 Trevor Berbick at Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas. Wins WBC Heavyweight Title. "Mike Tyson fought as perfect a fight as a man of his type of ability could possibly fight," Larry Merchant said. "There is no praise high enough for Mike Tyson." https://t.co/1XmTQC6Xoh
Tyson vs Berbick is recognized as one of the early demonstrations of Tyson's dominance in the ring. He won the WBA title in his next fight and then the IBF title two bouts later. In 1988, he also collected The Ring belt. Between the belts, he made nine successful title defenses before losing them to Buster Douglas in their famous 1990 fight.