Mike Tyson vs. Johnny Nelson - Almost Happened in 2000

[Ruthless-RKO]

In was 2000, when Tyson had a few fights in the UK..

Written by Johnny himself:

Johnny Nelson has revealed how he traded insults with an enraged Mike Tyson ahead of his expected fight with the 'Baddest man on the planet'.

The infamous American heavyweight had decided to base his career in Britain for a brief spell in 2000, which put him on a collision course with Sky Sports expert Nelson, who sets the scene for his fiery confrontation with Tyson...

"It was serious talk. Mike Tyson had a three-fight deal with promoter allegedly. They got two opponents and they were looking for a third opponent. That fight was going to happen.

"Mike was training in London in Park Lane at the Grosvenor Hotel, and that's when I got the invite to meet him, not knowing Mike and Frank had these conversations, and I was the third opponent.



"When I walked in, they had already discussed this, I just didn't know about it, and I was kind of caught on the hop because it was said in front of everybody. The press were there, the public were there, watching Mike blast a sparring partner. I'm like 'What? I need to think of something quick.'

"Mike has got a high pitch kind of voice and his head used to go to the side, with an involuntary click of the neck. He said: 'You want to earn some money, let's do it'. It was so menacing.

"Remember, I was world champion, so I thought I was the best cruiserweight in the world. I can't give that impression that I'm bottling it. I went, 'Yeah, yeah, no problem'. It was verbally discussed with all of us. It was a done deal. It was just an unsigned contract.

"Even when he beat Julius Francis and even when he beat Lou Savarese, I had still not come out with an excuse, so the fight was going to happen. Unfortunately Frank and Mike fell out - and that's the only reason why it didn't go ahead.



"Mike Tyson was very different then. Mike wasn't the Mike he was years before, and I was world champion, so I now believed I was good. He knew it was me next and that's where the intimidation started. Before then, we were pretty jovial and polite with each other, but when he knocked out Savarese he shouted down at me: 'You sure you want some of that? We're going to eat you!'

"I was sat at ringside with my wife and I was thinking, 'No, not in front of my missus mate'.

"Steve 'Crocodile' Fitch was next to him and he's giving it: 'Yeah, we'll mess you up'.

"I've got to style it out, I've got to be cool, and I've got to make out I really fancy this fight. I needed a one-liner and all I could think of was, 'Get yourself fit, fat boy'.

"People looked at me as if to say, 'What?" Even my wife looked at me and said: 'What?' When it came out of my mouth, I thought 'Idiot.' You could see Mike looking as if to say, 'What did he call me?'

"We ended up back at the hotel, me and my wife, and we were on our way to a party downstairs. It must have been around 2am. Mike was staying in the penthouse suite on the top floor. I think he had to change lifts between floors. We're in the lift and the door opens. It was Mike, 'Crocodile', and his manager. I thought s**t. Mike is looking at me and I'm looking at him. I went, 'You getting in?' He went, 'Yeah'. His manager put his hand in front of him and went, 'No, we'll get the next lift'.

"The door is closing and 'Crocodile' is mouthing behind him, doing the cut-throat sign. Just before it shut, I gave him a farewell gesture, and my wife was not impressed. We got downstairs and we walked straight back upstairs and didn't go out.

"Mike and I are friends now. I didn't see him again while he was still fighting, but afterwards he's been over here quite a few times for events.

"He asks me: 'Tell the story about how we were nearly going to fight', and he always starts laughing."

[Ruthless-RKO]

Anyone know more about this?

Obviously, there was no social media, so times were different back then..

[Noxy]

It was in his autobiography.

[Coco]

Nothing was signed but a third fight with FW was signed for, Nelson was FW's fighter and cruiserweight champ, it made sense for everyone.

And then like he said Tyson and FW fell out......

[Ruthless-RKO]

Nothing was signed but a third fight with FW was signed for, Nelson was FW's fighter and cruiserweight champ, it made sense for everyone.

And then like he said Tyson and FW fell out......

Best cruiserweight in the world.

[Coco]

Nothing was signed but a third fight with FW was signed for, Nelson was FW's fighter and cruiserweight champ, it made sense for everyone.

And then like he said Tyson and FW fell out......

Best cruiserweight in the world.

At least a beltholder!!

[polecateddy]

At least we were spared the fight. I would imagine all the confidence he showed as a cruiser weight champion would have quickly evaporated into a desperate survival spectacle. A couple of knock downs in the 1st 3 rounds and I think the ref would have jumped in.

[coghaugen11]

Johnny's claim to fame. His other one was fighting on the Benn-Watson undercard in front of every British sports, soap and Page 3 star you can think of.

[coghaugen11]

I imagine he'd of crumbled mentally against Tyson, before the first bell.

[Ruthless-RKO]

I imagine he'd of crumbled mentally against Tyson, before the first bell.

He was crumbling the whole way by the sounds of him.

[Coco]

His work as a company man is often held against him but this is a man who came from nothing who has been there, done it and got the t shirt.

[Noxy]

Yes, I‘m not a fan but you have to give him credit for his career in the ring. Especially after the De Leon fight, he was pretty much written off after that. He was a champ a long time.

[coghaugen11]

A very distant acquaintance of Tyson through the after dinner events, not a personal friend.

[Coco]

Yes, I‘m not a fan but you have to give him credit for his career in the ring. Especially after the De Leon fight, he was pretty much written off after that. He was a champ a long time.

And also his time as an opponent on the road all over the world

[ALI]

Anyone know more about this?

Obviously, there was no social media, so times were different back then..

I do remember Nelson calling out Tyson back then, and i recall thinking he was a bit if a twat for doing so. Somebody will have a recording of the footage somewhere. I'm sure at the time i thought it was never going to happen, but reading this perhaps i was wrong.

Even with that version of Tyson, Johnny would have been done in one.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Yes, I‘m not a fan but you have to give him credit for his career in the ring. Especially after the De Leon fight, he was pretty much written off after that. He was a champ a long time.

Was champion from March 1999 to November 2005.

He made:

1999 = 4 defences
2000 = 2 defences
2001 = 3 defences
2002 = 1 defence (had 1 non-title fight)
2003 = 1 defence
2004 = 1 defence
2005 = 1 defence
Total = 13 defences

Would've been champion for 1 year only at the time he was supposed to fight Tyson.

[coghaugen11]

1 defence a year of an alphabet belt against non-descript opposition. Shocking. Disgraceful even.

[polecateddy]

I’m surprised by all the one defences per year. I can only think it’s a clear sign of such a thin cruiserweight field. He should have lost to G Jones but escaped with an unfair draw. And was kind of lucky in his final fight on away ground, when looking a bit stiff and uninspired he escaped with a split decision against Cantatore or whatever his name was.

[Ruthless-RKO]

1 defence a year of an alphabet belt against non-descript opposition. Shocking. Disgraceful even.

When did the WBO belt become important? Around 2000 or even later?

Nelson was never the 'Best cruiserweight in the world'.. Was far from it even.

Credit due to him, not taking that away from him..

His 13 defences of title were not that good and probably on par with Hatton's WBU reign.

[coghaugen11]

The WBO belt seemed to lose credibility in the early 00s when it had no champion of note (Calzaghe wasn't a noteworthy fighter at the time). In the early 90s it had Hearns, Benn, Oscar, Barrera, McMillan, Hamed, Michalwhatshisname, Bowe, Kronk Gym, Chris Eubank etc and was hoped it could become the main title. It also looked a lot cooler back then, the actual strap.

[Ruthless-RKO]

I’m surprised by all the one defences per year. I can only think it’s a clear sign of such a thin cruiserweight field.

Thin?

What about other champions? unifications?

IBF: Vassiliy Jirov, James Toney, Kelvin Davis, O'Neil Bell

WBC: Juan Carlos Gómez, Wayne Braithwaite, Jean-Marc Mormeck

WBA: Fabrice Tiozzo, Virgil Hill, Jean-Marc Mormeck

The above boxers held their respected belts during Nelson's full reign from 1999 to 2006.

Conveniently, in July 2006, Enzo Mac (another Queensberry promoted boxer) won the 'Interim' WBO belt..

Then Nelson, retired in September 2006 at the age of what 37 or 38 I think.

Enzo Mac became full champion.

By 2006, this was the WBO top 15:

1. Enzo Maccarinelli
2. Steve Cunningham
3. Guillermo Jones
4. Marcelo F. Dominguez
5. Jean Marc Mormeck
6. Giacobbe Fragomeni
7. Krzystof Wlodarzyk
8. Firat Arslan (Int-Cont)
9. Gregory Drozd
10. Valery Brudov
11. Mohammed Benguesmia
12. Dale Brown
13. Vincenzo Cantatore
14. Daniel Harvison
15. Marcos Huck

[Ruthless-RKO]

The WBO belt seemed to lose credibility in the early 00s when it had no champion of note (Calzaghe wasn't a noteworthy fighter at the time). In the early 90s it had Hearns, Benn, Oscar, Barrera, McMillan, Hamed, Michalwhatshisname, Bowe, Kronk Gym, Chris Eubank etc and was hoped it could become the main title. It also looked a lot cooler back then, the actual strap.

This one:



or

[coghaugen11]

Domestic dust-ups with Haye or Enzo, unifications, etc. Warren really wasn't very good a promoter in a legacy sense for his fighters or for the true boxing fan

[coghaugen11]

The WBO belt seemed to lose credibility in the early 00s when it had no champion of note (Calzaghe wasn't a noteworthy fighter at the time). In the early 90s it had Hearns, Benn, Oscar, Barrera, McMillan, Hamed, Michalwhatshisname, Bowe, Kronk Gym, Chris Eubank etc and was hoped it could become the main title. It also looked a lot cooler back then, the actual strap.

This one:



or

The one Eubank wore on that chiseled waist, those are the pics I jizz over

[Ruthless-RKO]

Domestic dust-ups with Haye or Enzo, unifications, etc. Warren really wasn't very good a promoter in a legacy sense for his fighters or for the true boxing fan

He was all about the easy money..

One fight with Enzo, would have raked in more money then probably 3 Nelson defences against binmen.