In his prime, Mike Tyson stood firm as one of the most ferocious heavyweights on the planet.

Tyson reached the pinnacle of the sport in November 1986 when he knocked out Trevor Berbick to capture the coveted WBC heavyweight title, becoming the youngest world heavyweight champion in boxing history.

‘Iron’ Mike went on to hold the undisputed championship for three years between 1987 and 1990, defeating the likes of Larry Holmes, Michael Spinks and Frank Bruno in successful title defences. He would eventually lose his crown to James ‘Buster’ Douglas in a monumental upset at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.

In a recent admission, Tyson spoke out and revealed there is one fighter that his caught his attention following a fine run of form. That man is former two-time super middleweight champion David Benavidez, who has emerged as a dominant force across both the 168lb and 175lb divisions.

Speaking to ESNews, Tyson spoke highly of ‘The Monster’, claiming even he would be ‘afraid’ to face the 28-year-old, backing him against any potential opponents.

“I like him against everybody. Listen, I’d be afraid to fight him too if I was in that division. No one even has a chance against him, and I’m talking facts.”

Benavidez made the move up to 175lbs last year, capturing the WBC ‘Interim’ title against Ukrainian veteran Oleksandr Gvozdyk. ‘The Monster’ secured the mandatory position for Canelo Alvarez’s WBC super middleweight title, although a bout between the pair could not be materialised for a number of reasons.

The 28-year-old returned to the ring on February 1, picking up a unanimous decision victory over David Morrell in Las Vegas. Benavidez was dropped for the second time in his career in the penultimate round of their contest, but had done enough in the opinion of all three judges to maintain his unbeaten record and retain his WBC ‘Interim’ 175lb crown.