Mike Tyson, at the tender age of 15, pledged to "avenge" the legendary Muhammad Ali as he was just starting his boxing journey.
The 58-year-old, who is gearing up to face YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul later this month, is hailed as one of the greatest fighters in history. He clinched the title of undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and also holds the record for being the youngest ever fighter to secure the WBC, WBA and IBF titles.
Even before stepping into the professional ring, Iron Mike held the great Muhammad Ali in high esteem. After Ali's defeat to Larry Holmes in 1980, Tyson's immense potential came to light.
He now reveals that he had sworn to defeat both Holmes and Trevor Berbick - who also bested Tyson's idol Ali in 1981 - although the boxing legend seemed less than convinced.
On the All The Smoke Fight podcast, the seasoned fighter shared: "Larry Holmes, 1980 October 2nd. Larry Holmes beat Ali and Ali and Cus [D'Amato] were talking on the phone the next day. The next morning, they were talking. And he said 'I've got a 15-year-old black kid who's going to be champion of the world, talk to him, his name is Mike Tyson '.
"And I said 'when I get big, I'm going to avenge you'. He didn't really listen. I got both of them for him [Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick]."
Tyson stayed true to his promise to Ali, defeating Berbick by TKO in 1986 in Las Vegas when he was just 20 years old, before triumphing over Holmes with a knockout in January 1988.
He's never shied away from expressing his admiration for Ali and credited him as a pivotal influence on his career earlier this year, confessing to Boxing News: "I worshiped him. That's all I can say. I worshiped him. Cus D'Amato worshiped him. So that's my mentor worshiping this guy.
"I'm going to worship whoever my mentor told me to worship. When boxing found me, I knew I was going to be the best ever. I just knew it.
"The first day I saw Muhammed Ali, I said 'I'm going to be the greatest fighter to ever live'. Just seeing him! I didn't even know while he walked out 'I'm the greatest fighter in the world'. How does this happen?
"That must happen. It's like Tyson. You're Tyson Fury, now he's the greatest fighter in the world. How does that happen? How does that s*** happen?
"You look at a guy and he inspires you. Doesn't even got to say a f****** word to you. You only have to know him. And you're somewhere because of him. And you worship him because if it wasn't him, you never saw him, it would never be you."
