A decades-old boxing match against Mitch Green appears to be resurfacing, casting a shadow over legendary heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. This development comes just over a month after ‘Iron’ Mike suffered a shocking defeat to YouTube star Jake Paul in Texas, where he reportedly earned a $20 million purse.
You see, back in 1986, 38 years ago, during the buildup to Tyson’s fight against Mitch Green, the latter voiced strong complaints about the stark disparity in purses between him and Tyson. The issue came to a head at the weigh-ins, just a day before the fight, when Green discovered he was earning $30,000 compared to Tyson’s $200,000 for the bout.
Green threatened to withdraw from the fight at the eleventh hour. However, he later struck a deal to be released from his managerial contract with King’s stepson, Carl, in exchange for a reduced purse. 38 years later while appearing in an interview with Vlad TV, Green seems to have recollected that fight and revealed he may sue Tyson for it.
“You know what, Mike owes me, He owes me, [and] he’s gonna pay me. I need a lawyer,” Green said during the interview. Interestingly, Green has sued Tyson before!
Do you believe Mitch Green's claims about being underpaid against Mike Tyson are justified?
In 1988, Tyson was visiting the popular clothing store, Dapper Dan, in Harlem to collect his custom-made jacket. Mitch Green was out on the streets and heard about Tyson’s visit. At this point in time, Green was looking for a rematch against Tyson, so he got curious.
When the two finally came face to face outside of the store, a brawl ensued, which left Green with a busted eye and Tyson with a hairline fracture of the right hand. Over nine years later, Green sued Tyson for $25 million, but he was only awarded $45,000 in a New York court. It didn’t even cover his legal bills, and he remained strapped for cash. Regardless, Green feels Tyson received much more than $200,000 for their 1986 fight.
Mitch Green claims Mike Tyson made $1 million while he made $30K
During the same interview with Vlad TV, Mitch Green reflected on the payment disparity in his 1986 fight against Mike Tyson. Despite being the higher-ranked fighter at the time than Tyson, Green claimed he was misled by promoter Don King into accepting just $30,000 for the bout, while Tyson allegedly earned up to $1 million. “They say 750 thousand, some interviews they said, he got a million,” Green stated, expressing frustration over the unequal payouts.
He alleged King deceived him, stating, “[Don King] made the fight… I asked, ‘How much is [Tyson] getting?’ He said, ‘A little more!’” Green, ranked No. 6 at the time, admitted he wasn’t invested in the fight after learning of the disparity but continued after his mother insisted. Official reports suggest Tyson earned $200,000, plus a portion of his HBO deal.
That being said, it appears even after 38 years since their fight Mitch Green hasn’t come to terms with the unequal payout during their fight. While there’s a case to be made about Tyson being the bigger name, the sheer difference in their earning shows the real problem plaguing the sport. What do you think about the situation?
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