- Mike Tyson was in Francis Ngannou’s corner for the recent Battle of the Baddest
- The heavyweight boxing legend was one of a number of sports stars dressing up
- Listen to Mail Sport’s new boxing podcast THE HOOK – with exclusive interviews
Mike Tyson re-posted an image of himself dressed as a bumblebee for Halloween as the former world heavyweight champion got into the holiday spirit.
A number of stars from around the sporting world were seen posing in fancy dress to celebrate Halloween, with wrestling legend Dwayne The Rock Johnson donning a wig and going as David Beckham.
NBA superstar Victor Wembanyama dressed up as Slender Man, while Manchester United stars Casemiro and Diogo Dalot went down the well-trodden superhero route.
But for Tyson – who was in Riyadh over the last week helping Francis Ngannou prepare for his mega-fight with – it was a perhaps surprising costume choice from last year that returned to his followers’ feeds.
The veteran Iron Mike posed for the camera in 2022 in a bright yellow-and-black bumblebee outfit, complete with yellow antennae and a frilly, shiny neck ruff, and the picture made a return this year.
Boxing legend Mike Tyson posed for the camera dressed as a bumblebee for Halloween
Tyson was in Francis Ngannou’s corner for the MMA star’s crossover clash with Tyson Fury
‘Happy Halloween. Bee the force that cannot bee stopped,’ the former world heavyweight champion wrote on X alongside the picture.
It was perhaps a nod to heavyweight boxing royalty Muhammad Ali’s famous quote: ‘Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee’.
Tyson’s return to action alongside the Cameroonian former UFC star for Saturday’s fight brought greater legitimacy to Ngannou’s attempts to carve out a career in boxing after making the transition from the octagon.
And despite the result, it would appear that the legend imparted some of his wisdom, with Ngannou surprising the majority of critics and pundits with his showing in Riyadh.
Although he sent the Gypsy King to the canvas in the third round, and received the backing from one of the three judges, he would ultimately lose to Fury in controversial circumstances in what many believe was an erroneous decision.
Tyson himself posted on X after the fight: ‘The true champ of the evening Francis Ngannou. So proud how you performed.’
Tyson claimed that Ngannou was ‘the true champ’ despite the Cameroonian’s defeat by split decision
