Mike Tyson snubs Serena Williams to bestow 'Best Player in the World' crown on the American's rival

It’s common knowledge that Mike Tyson is an avid fan of tennis, given his daughter’s involvement in the sport. The former heavyweight champion is often seen in attendance at tennis matches. Moreover, he has a ton of respect for arguably the greatest tennis player, Serena Williams.

Despite that, ‘Iron Mike’ was not shy to snub the 23-time grand slam winner and even touted her fiercest rival as the best in the world. In the latest episode of his podcast Hotboxin, along with rapper Cordae, Tyson claimed that Naomi Osaka was the best payer in the world.

In the episode, Tyson couldn’t believe that his daughter was mad at him for meeting Osaka, who is also the girlfriend of Cordae, and went on to call her the most beautiful and best player in the world.

“I can’t believe my daughter is supposed to be mad at me for being with the most beautiful and the best player in the world.” he said.

Although Tyson couldn’t believe that his daughter was mad at him, she was also a fan of Williams. This might have had something to do with his daughter being angry at him. Moreover, ‘Iron Mike’ has also been a supporter of Williams for a long time, even backing her during her infamous fiasco at the 2018 US Open.

In 2018, Williams lost to Naomi Osaka in one of the greatest upsets in tennis history. However, the game was plagued by further controversy, with Williams accusing the referee of sexism. This came after the referee issued a warning to her and her team for illegal coaching. With the world divided on who was right in this incident, Tyson took the side of Williams and backed her.

In an interview, he claimed that ‘ReRe‘ was not targeted fairly by the referee. However, he added that the tennis ace could have handled things in a better manner. “I thought it was a wrong call the chair umpire made. Serena was unfairly targeted. This said she should have kept her cool and not argued with him. Arguing with him would have never done her any good.” said Tyson.