The transcript below is from the video “Mike Tyson: No Way Bruce Lee Could Beat Me Even In A Street Fight!” by BruceLeeRealFight.

Mike Tyson:

“If Bruce Lee really could beat me in a fight, I would really, um, I really think this is an interesting world, because that should not happen.”

Bruce Lee Real Fight Channel (Real Bruce Lee Fight Stories and Jeet Kune Do Training):

Welcome to BruceLeeRealFight Channel.

When we talk about Mike Tyson, every fight fan knows who he is. He is considered one of the best heavyweight fighters of all time. Nicknamed ‘Iron Mike’ and ‘Kid Dynamite’ in his early career, and later known as ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ or ‘The Baddest Man on Earth’.

Bruce Lee Real Fight Channel (Real Bruce Lee Fight Stories and Jeet Kune Do Training):

Mike Tyson made his professional debut at the age of 18, in March 1985. His first opponent was Hector Mercedes. In November 1986, Mike Tyson became the youngest man to win a share of the heavyweight title. He then fought in the ring all the way until June 2005. His career record was 50 Wins with 44 Knockouts 6 losses. With these records, Mike Tyson was well-known for his knockout power and holds the third longest unified championship reign in heavyweight history and eight consecutive defenses.

Bruce Lee Real Fight Channel (Real Bruce Lee Fight Stories and Jeet Kune Do Training):

In 2006, Mike Tyson retired from professional boxing after being knocked out in a consecutive match against Danny Williams in 2004. And Kevin McBride in 2005. However, he is still considered one of the best heavyweights of all time. He was ranked 16th on The Ring’s list of 100 greatest punches of all time. And was ranked number 1 in the ESPN.com list of The Hardest Hitters in Heavyweight History. British TV sports channel, Sky Sports, described him as, ‘perhaps the most ferocious fighter to step into a professional ring’.

Bruce Lee Real Fight Channel (Real Bruce Lee Fight Stories and Jeet Kune Do Training):

Being one of the best in fighting history, Mike Tyson was often asked, ‘Would Bruce Lee at his peak be able to contend with him?’ During an interview in 2017, Mike Tyson said Bruce Lee has an awesome philosophy in fighting. He also described Bruce Lee as a killer and here’s the interview.”

Mike Tyson:

“Hurt, you may do as much damage as you can, and you get out, you know, I mean without being hurt. Less damage than yourself as possible. I used to have so much respect for his philosophy. His philosophy is like the ultimate, um, warrior philosophy. Wow, this is deep. This thing gets me deep when we talk about Bruce.”

Bruce Lee Real Fight Channel (Real Bruce Lee Fight Stories and Jeet Kune Do Training):

That was the interview of Mike Tyson in 2017. Two years later in 2019, during an interview with Ariel Helwani on ESPN MMA show, he was once again asked about Bruce Lee and the question is…

Ariel Helwani (Host on ESPN MMA show):

“In his prime, who would have won in a no-holds-barred fight, Mike Tyson or Bruce Lee? I picked you, was I right?”

Bruce Lee Real Fight Channel (Real Bruce Lee Fight Stories and Jeet Kune Do Training):

And guess what Mike’s answer is? Let’s watch the interview together.

Mike Tyson:

“I thank you very much, thank you very much. Hey, I’d like to think you were right too. If Bruce Lee really could beat me in a fight, I would really um, I really think this is an interesting world, because that should not happen.”

Ariel Helwani (Host on ESPN MMA show):

“Well, it’s anything goes so he could kick, he could knee, he could do a bunch of stuff, you could just punch.”

Mike Tyson:

“So, that’s like, it’s almost like me and Floyd having a street fight. He’s the same size. He’s 135 pounds. What’s the guy with Davis name? Gervonta Davis. That’s me and Tank fighting. Me and Tank fight. Tank had the greatest skill in the world. Let him fight me.”

Ariel Helwani (Host on ESPN MMA show):

“Obviously, you would win if it’s a boxing match, but I thought maybe…”

Mike Tyson:

“No, no, no. If me and Tank fight, you…”

Ariel Helwani (Host on ESPN MMA show):

“No, I pick you over any of those guys. That’s why I picked you over Bruce Lee.”

Mike Tyson:

“I’m not saying to be disrespectful or egotistical…this is the size…it’s me and Tank fighting…greatest in the world.”

Bruce Lee Real Fight Channel (Real Bruce Lee Fight Stories and Jeet Kune Do Training):

From this interview, we can see that Mike Tyson did pay his respects to Bruce Lee, although he thinks size does matter. He keeps saying Bruce has awesome philosophy in fighting and we believe he learned a couple things from Bruce Lee.

In November 28, 2020, Mike Tyson is returning to the ring to have a boxing match against Roy Jones Jr. He is undergoing electric muscle stimulation. And Bruce Lee also used it to train his muscle in the 60s. In 1971, Bruce Lee taught a Jeet Kune Do lesson in Longstreet. He taught to use whatever things you have available to you. He also taught that biting in close quarters is an effective attack.

Bruce Lee:

“You wish to survive. What do you do?”

Student of Bruce Lee:

“I don’t know.”

Bruce Lee:

“Bite!”

Bruce Lee Real Fight Channel (Real Bruce Lee Fight Stories and Jeet Kune Do Training):

So, do you think Mike Tyson learned it from Bruce Lee?

Mike Tyson is 5 feet 10 inches 178 centimetres tall and 240 pounds. He fought in the heavyweight division so, naturally he had a lot of power in his hands. So, he would win many people with one well-placed punch. For example, he was able to knock out men like Larry Holmes in the 4th round and Michael Spinks in the very first round.

Bruce Lee Real Fight Channel (Real Bruce Lee Fight Stories and Jeet Kune Do Training):

Bruce Lee is 5 feet 8 inches 172 centimetres tall and 135 pounds. He fought on the street and had a lot of power in both of his hands and legs. He was trained solely to look for a weakness throughout the entire body of his opponent. If someone went charging at Bruce Lee, there was a chance he would be hit by Bruce Lee with a hard blow on the groin or finger jabs to the eyes or even a powerful sweeping kick to the knee or shin as he was approaching. Bruce quite possibly would even snap his opponent kneecap.

You don’t have to be as powerful as Mike Tyson or Muhammad Ali to do this. These are part of the human body that has great weakness. If performed accurately enough, any of these moves would be quite devastating to anyone. These methods would come very natural for Bruce Lee because he solely trained in martial arts for street fighting. His quickness combined with his martial arts prowess would defeat anyone. He was able to defeat all world-class fighters during that era and make them become his students. Three of Bruce Lee’s students Joe Lewis, Mike Stone and Chuck Norris have won all karate titles in the U.S.

Bruce Lee Real Fight Channel (Real Bruce Lee Fight Stories and Jeet Kune Do Training):

Both Bruce Lee and Mike Tyson are definitely legends, but who do you think could win out of a fight if they met in their primes? Mike Tyson or Bruce Lee? Who would win in a no-holds-barred street fight? Bruce Lee or Mike Tyson? A no-holds-barred fight means any of them could use anything they have and every pound they have.

In 1976, Muhammad Ali fought a Japanese professional wrestler, Antonio Inoki. The fight itself was fought under special rules and it is seen as a precursor to modern MMA. The majority of the fight saw Antonio Inoki on his back-kicking Muhammad Ali’s legs 107 times uninhibited by the referee. This is because a particular rule was negotiated shortly before the fight, which allowed any of them to use legs without being disqualified. The fight was draw and it was refereed by one of Bruce Lee’s best friend, Gene LeBell. This fight has long been debated by the press and fans. It’s not definitive but provides some evidence.

If Bruce Lee is allowed to use every part of his body and attack anywhere he wants, against a heavyweight opponent, don’t you think he stands a big chance in winning?