BOXING manager Shelly Finkel could not split Mike Tyson and Deontay Wilder’s destructive punch power.
Finkel helped guide Tyson’s career after the heavyweight legend was disqualified for biting Evander Holyfield’s ear in 1997.
But he still manages Wilder today and as a result has had a ringside view of some of boxing’s most brutal knockouts.
Finkel points towards the difference between Tyson’s 5ft 10in frame and 6ft 7in Wilder when comparing their power.
He told SunSport: “Deontay to me is a large Tommy Hearns. And he has a certain spring to his punches.
“Tyson, it’s from his legs. He has massive thighs and it’s coming from there.
“And the speed. So, they’re very different. I wouldn’t want to be hit by either!
“When Tyson beat Spinks, it was devastating. And Spinks after said, ‘The thing I misjudged was how fast he was’.”
Wilder, 36, has always been capable of turning a fight on its head in an instance, like he did with Luis Ortiz, 43, in 2019.
Whereas Tyson, now 56, needed a fast start but did not waste time in breaking his opponents down.
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Finkel said: “Deontay always has the equaliser. He could be down, but all of a sudden, out of nowhere, boom, it’s over.
“Mike was just a destructive machine coming at you. And you can’t keep him off you, it’s all over.”
Hall of Famer Finkel watched as Tyson retired in 2005 following two disastrous defeats.
But a decade later and Wilder emerged as America’s next heavyweight hope.
He defended his WBC title ten times before losing it to Tyson Fury, 34, in 2020 and most recently losing to the Brit again in October.
Wilder has not fought since, but returns on October 15 in New York against former sparring Robert Helenius, 38.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
