Mike Tyson believes that current boxing king Pound for Pound is a star in his own right, but Terence Crawford is unable to attract a huge audience.

Boxing magazine’s “Baddest Man” says Crawford has struggled to build a significant fan base and compared purses from today to the 1980s, when many of P4P’s Top 50 fighters had huge followings.

The fact that the top fighter in the sport and the number one boxer in today’s rankings was unable to attract the attention of Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and himself during their careers is a travesty for Tyson.

In an interview with tennis star Nick Kyrgios before his final fight in Los Angeles, Tyson accused Crawford of not being electrifying enough.

Kyrgios asked Tyson about the differences between his prime and his current crop of talent ahead of his November 15 clash with Jake Paul.

Tyson replied: “You know, it’s a humorous question because of the technology. More people see fighters now than when I was fighting.

“Seeing these players, we made a lot of money fighting for our time. You see, these guys are fighting now. They won’t get ten if… I’m also talking about the youngest ones – Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran and Tommy Hearn. These little guys, they don’t make that kind of money. These guys were making $15 million in the 1980s. It’s like, I don’t know, like $45 million now. Times are changing and they just can’t keep up [the same money]”

The Novel Yorker, 58, then cited Crawford as an example.

“Look, Terence Crawford in the box, he’s fighting [fought] Errol Smith [Spence]and he’s the best fighter in the world, but he can’t attract 5,000 people. So like you, he has more [to] I have to come [than just] being the best.

“You have to entertain. You have to be electrifying. The best fighters in the world can’t, like I said, beat anyone. They could beat anyone in the world, but they can’t draw 5,000 tickets. You know, it’s because they’re not electrifying.

“The way they make money is because their opponents are very eminent. They have many supporters [on social media]. But there are people; I’m sure they’re talented guys who could beat anyone, but they look like shit. It’s like watching grass grow, you know.

Mike Tyson ‘got his ass kicked, often knocked out’

At this point Kyrgios interjected and said: “Yes. Let’s not mention any names” to try to keep Crawford out of the equation.

In August, Crawford won his match against Israil Madrimov. While the fight appears to have sold well, more questions than answers remain about how many people actually attended and how much they paid for the ticket.

The reported Pay Per View sales also line up perfectly with what Mike Tyson noticed, leaving boxing in the strange position it currently finds itself in when it comes to the recognized best in the world.

Boxing will crown its undisputed featherlight heavyweight champion on Saturday night when Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol collide in Riyad.

They are both at the top of the 175-pound weight class and have been for some time, but separating them is a tough proposition.

There will be countless predictions, analyzes and debates this week about a fascinating 50-50 fight where a robust case can be made for either fighter. But what does the boxing industry think? picked the brains of 14 people, from promoters to fighters to broadcasters.

Below is a low selection. To watch more, click on the video.

Ben Whittaker (featherlight heavyweight and 2020 Olympic silver medalist)

“You will probably see interviews [where] I changed and changed. I was very robust towards Beterbiev [and] Beterbiev will probably keep him. But now I’m back in Bivol and I’m thinking about Bivol. Bivol is adolescent, fresher, stays vigorous, can fight close, can fight long and his fitness is good, so I will lean more towards Buffalo“

Shane McGuigan (Head Coach)

“I’m just thinking Beterbiev is in better shape. Bivol looked really good when he boxed Canelo, but he was inactive for some time and didn’t look good in his last fight. Beterbiev looked a little flat and delicate just before boxing Callum Johnson, and then Johnson dropped him. He wasn’t looking well around this time. Now he has recovered. People may say that the Anthony Yard fight was a competitive fight, but that’s not true. He took his foot off the gas pedal, fought in bursts and was very withdrawn that night. And then Callum Smith… Callum is a very good player, so doing this to Callum Smith… is [Beterbiev] in great shape.

Jim Lampley (Lead Commentator and Expert)

“It’s just a great fight. These are two great technicians. They both have power. I think it’s logical to agree with Beterbiev and gain the advantage in striking power. This doesn’t necessarily mean he will win this fight. Bivol, who defeated Canelo Alvarez, extremely confident, commanding his craft, able to choose other options than those in front of him to continue to find success in the slow rounds. He can win this fight. This is 50-50 fight. I can’t wait to see it.”

Jai Opetaia (IBF world cruiserweight champion)

“It’s an amazing fight. Stylistically, a fighter moving forward against a guy who just cuts corners. It’s amazing. As a fan of boxing and the science of the sport… there is a lot of hype around heavyweight fighters because they hit so demanding, but this is chess match and as a science of the sport of boxing, it’s a great fight, a great matchup, and I’m truly honored to be a part of a great fight like this. Any true boxing fan who knows styles and statistics [knows] this fight is massive.”

Lamont Roach is a good player. He is technically sound; he is a championship-level player.

However, when it comes to Gervonta “Tank” Davis’ opponents in the pay-per-view event, I would prefer to see someone who has put in an explosive top-notch performance or at least has a polarizing personality.

Davis is a true pay-per-view star. Whether or not you agree that so many of his fights should be on pay-per-view – and I disagreed with most of them – he has been an established presence on pay-per-view for some time. It lacks the appropriate opposition necessary to charge these types of fees.

Roach is a solid fighter. But he hasn’t reached the top and I don’t think his character can compensate for that. He had success in the super featherweight division, but it took some time. Had he defended the title multiple times, the fight between him and Davis might have made more sense, but he took it – against Feargal McCrory.

We’ve seen Davis in this type of fight before – for example against Hector Luis Garcia, who has only lost a split decision to Roach since Davis’ stoppage. But over time it became a pay-per-view model – once a fighter achieves that status, he or she remains on pay-per-view regardless of the opponent.

Frank Martin, Davis’ former opponent, is also a solid fighter and, unlike Roach, fights at lightweight. He was on track to fight Shakur Stevenson and had put in some good performances, which meant he had the highest level of curiosity around him. There is no doubt that Davis is at the highest level and that is why carefully selecting his opponents is frustrating.

It’s also essential that Roach – who is highly talked about by those who know him – is not the biggest fighter in the super featherweight division, where he still seems capable of defending his WBA title, and Davis is such a powerful lightweight fighter. If Davis is the biggest star in the division and Stevenson is his biggest rival, then I feel the same way about this fight as I did when Stevenson fought Joe Cordina. This looks more like a fight that would be acceptable if Davis faced Stevenson and then Stevenson had to withdraw due to injury and be replaced; If we were certain that Davis-Stevenson would be next, it would make a lot more sense, but it doesn’t even seem close.

Davis should be considered a massive favorite. As for Roach, if he won, it would be the event of the year, and a match that could be the disappointment of the year should not be aired on pay-per-view.

The lightweight fight I’m more positive about is the William Zepeda-Tevin Farmer fight. Farmer introduces Zepeda to a different style as he rises to the next level; Farmer is a former world champion and a very crafty southpaw, and fighting him strengthens his hopes of fighting Davis or Stevenson in the future.

Southpaws dominate the lightweight division, making Farmer a very suitable opponent who can show us where Zepeda, who has been impressive so far, is at. Farmer may be past his best form, but Zepeda is not defending his world title, and their fight is a shadow of the fight between Chris Billam-Smith and Gilberto Ramirez. I anticipate moments when Farmer will come out on top and test Zepeda, even though I expect Zepeda to both learn from him and win.

As a side note, when Stevenson-Cordina was announced, we were also told we could expect Stevenson-Zepeda and then Stevenson-Davis in 2025. Stevenson’s presence on Matchroom and DAZN – Zepeda’s broadcaster continues to fight, albeit under Golden Boy Promotions – means a fight between the two wouldn’t be a surprise.

However, I see no reason to believe that Stevenson-Davis will be successful after this. Matchroom has nothing to say about Davis’ moves. I am elated to say publicly that I do not think a Stevenson-Davis event will occur in 2025, and while I expect a Stevenson-Zepeda event to occur, it will happen at the end of the year, not at the beginning as we anticipate” I was also told.