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Mike Tyson's son delivers verdict on sporting stars like Shaquille O'Neal trying to venture into boxing

Originally posted on MMA Weekly | By Joshua Ryan | Last updated Aug 7, 2025 11:20 PM ET

Rumors are persisting regarding several huge sporting stars wanting to make the transition over to boxing, led by Shaquille O'Neal. With the news circulating, Mike Tyson's son has weighed in on the situation.

Despite the current golden generation of boxing producing countless top stars who could stake a claim at being among the greats, the sport has become something of a circus. Internet celebrities are now more than ever taking an interest in fighting, and influencers are beginning to rake in money and views that some hard-working professionals can only dream of.

Many current and former NBA and NFL stars showed interest in the potential super-card boxing event proposed by a passionate Shaquille O'Neal last year. After watching O'Neal train with former world heavyweight champion Oliver McCall, Mike Tyson's son, Amir, gave his outlook on what could have been if other sporting stars chose to pick up the gloves instead of the ball.

"There [are] so many NFL and NBA players who could have been championship material if they did that profession and not what they actually did." Tyson Jr. claimed on his social media story.

Football and Basketball players are often referred to as some of the most athletically gifted humans in the world.

Similar to Amir Tyson's views, Joe Rogan believes that physically gifted people like LeBron James would have dominated if they chose to train in mixed martial arts.

"If a guy like [LeBron James] was fighting, everybody would be f***ed. They're lucky, they're goddamn lucky that there's that much money in basketball..."

"That guy's gonna beat your f***ing a**. He's a winner, there's just a certain level of winners, and he'd do whatever the f*** he wants."

The comments are from an episode of Joe Rogan's podcast featuring his longtime friend and fellow comedian Bryan Callen, released seven years ago.

Check it out below.