Mike Tyson believes boxing is dying in America, and he’s putting his name and resources behind saving it.
The 59-year-old Hall of Famer announced the Mike Tyson Invitational, scheduled for March 12 through 14 in Las Vegas, as his answer to a sport he says has lost its competitive foundation and cultural relevance.
The three-day event will showcase the nation’s top amateur boxers, giving them a platform to compete against elite opposition.
Tyson‘s team sought out premier talent with the long-range goal of elevating boxing back to where it once stood as a conversation driving sport rather than an afterthought overshadowed by mixed martial arts.
“Listen, boxing is dying, and that is what’s driving me,” Tyson said. “If I can be involved in any way in the uplifting and development of boxing, I’ll be happy with that.”
His concerns extend beyond professional boxing’s struggles to capture mainstream attention. Tyson worries about the sport’s future at the amateur level, where he believes insufficient competition prevents American fighters from developing into world class talent.
The title of heavyweight champion has gone from among the most prestigious in sports to one that’s nearly anonymous.
“I was watching some of the amateur fights and I was wondering, ‘We don’t have enough boxing clubs,'” Tyson noted. “Before, when I was fighting, we could fight at the Ohio state fair.
“Then I’d go to Colorado the next two weeks and fight in the national tournament. That’s what we need to be able to compete with the other countries. We need more competition.”
Olympic future remains uncertain despite 2028 inclusion
The International Olympic Committee announced last March that boxing would be included in the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, ending doubt about whether the sport’s longtime presence in the quadrennial event would continue.
But that temporary reprieve doesn’t address the deeper problems plaguing American boxing at every level.
Tyson‘s main focus is making boxing big again in the United States.
Occasional major events like the Canelo AlvarezTerence Crawford unified super middleweight title fight September 13 before 70,482 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas demonstrate the sport can still draw massive audiences.
But those attention-grabbing bouts only temporarily push back on the notion that boxing is in trouble at the grassroots level.
An untouchable legacy in boxing
The self-proclaimed “baddest man on the planet” knows what boxing looks like when it thrives.
His career produced a 50-7 record with 44 knockouts, including victories in his first 19 professional bouts by knockout, 12 in the first round.
His fights became must watch events, with Tyson declaring before entering the ring, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched.”
“We’re all entertainers, trust me, especially fighters,” Tyson said. “If you don’t perform well, people give their opinion about you. You may not like it. My job was always to make the people happy as a fighter.”
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