Mike Tyson vs. Conor McGregor? Stranger things have happened.
Tyson was a guest on “The Tonight Show” on Monday. Host Jimmy Fallon asked the former heavyweight champion how he would fare against the fictional likes of Rocky Balboa and Ivan Drago.
“I think I could beat anybody that ever lived,” said 54-year-old Iron Mike, who is set to face Roy Jones Jr. in a pay-per-view exhibition on Sept. 12 in the Los Angeles area.
Fallon then brought up MMA star Conor McGregor.
“How about this one? This one actually could happen,” Fallon asked. “Mike Tyson vs. Conor McGregor. That dude is nuts.”
“Yeah, but I’d kick his a– anyway!” Tyson responded.
Fallon pointed out that McGregor, 32, is a mixed martial artist, not a boxer. Tyson responded by saying, “”Hey, we’ll play with boxing rules.”
McGregor was knocked out by Floyd Mayweather under boxing rules in August 2017. The Irishman weighed 153 pounds for that fight, making him a junior middleweight.
Tyson is a relatively big man. He has trimmed down as a result of an intense training regimen but still reportedly weighs around 220 pounds, which would seem to preclude a showdown with McGregor.
Of course, when millions of dollars are on the table, anything is possible.
McGregor hasn’t responded to Tyson’s comments on social media … yet.