Mike Tyson was spotted in and around Beijing this week. The former WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight champion visited the capital to attend the IBF Global Convention on Wednesday.
Tyson was even seen on the Great Wall where he watched on as Amnat Ruenroeng (Thailand) and Johnriel Casimero (the Philippines) weighed in on the iconic landmark for their IBF flyweight title fight, Stuff.co.nz reports.
A series of fights were held at the Diamond Court in Beijing on Wednesday night. One of the major draws was the mini flyweight battle between China's former WBC champion Xiong Chaozhong and Jose Jimenez. Ultimately, Jimenez reigned victorious in a split decision, CRIENGLISH.com reports. Xiong looked good during the first round when he breifly knocked out Jimenez. However, Jimenez dominated the remaining rounds.
The loss was a big one for Xiong, who was slated to challenge the IBF title holder for the mini flyweight division if he had won.
Tyson, who sat ringside at the fight, said that the purpose of Xiong's fight was to shine the spotlight on boxing in China.
"The main objective is the fans should say if he performs up to par. The fans should say when's the next time you see him fight. That's what it all comes down to... you want the fans to say 'when is he fighting again?' And once you have that rally of the fan base behind you, then it's a forgone conclusion. You can go anywhere fighting. "
Tyson also said that while China has made a lot of progress in boxing, there is still a long way to go.
"The sky is the limit, as long as the desire is the limit. You have to have the desire and will that supersedes anything, distance even. Sometimes people may say that's extreme, but I'm an extreme person. I'm a real, extreme, hardcore person."
The event was just one of many being held around China this week as part of the IBF Global Convention.
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