Mike Tyson unveils giant statue of himself in Las Vegas featuring tribal tattoo but other athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah haven’t been so lucky when immortalised in bronze

Mike Tyson has been honoured with a statue of himself outside Mulberry’s Pizzeria at Resorts World in Las Vegas.

Tyson, whose biggest nights in the ring, came in Sin City itself, is one of the greatest boxers in history.

He succeeded Muhammad Ali as the youngest heavyweight champion in history, knocking out Trevor Berbick in 1986 at the age of 20, was an undisputed king and is in the Hall of Fame.

‘Iron Mike’ fought until 2005 before calling time on his professional career, then returned to the ring in 2020 for an exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr.

Speaking at the elaborate ceremony, the 55-year-old thanked restaurateur Richie Palmer for the grand gesture.

He said: “Well you know, I’m from New York and Mulberry Pizzeria’s legendary there and I lived in Beverly Hills and it was legendary there.

“I lived around the corner from it. I was here in [Las] Vegas and he [Richie Palmer] honoured me with the statue and I’m really humbled and thank you, Richie.

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“I knew Richie ever since my teenage years in New York City and we always been close and I’m a little overwhelmed. I’m pretty humbled right now.”

The pose is reminiscent of images of Tyson before he fought Peter McNeeley in 1995 in what was his first fight since leaving prison.

Then, he really did look like he was made of iron, with his staredown before the fight becoming iconic.

The statue is a pretty good likeness too, showcasing the famous tribal tattoo which adorns his face – but other sportsmen haven’t been so lucky when they have been similarly honoured.

Cristiano Ronaldo was immortalised at Aeroporto da Madeira with a bust of himself, although it was mocked by fans for not really bearing a passing resemblance to the Manchester United forward.

And Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah also had an unfavourable statue of himself made in Sharm-el Sheikh.

While Tyson is not planning on returning to the ring himself anytime soon, his former coach Ronnie Shields could potentially be training Anthony Joshua.

Joshua has met Virgil Hunter, Eddy Reynoso and Shields in the US since his defeat to Oleksandr Usyk back in September as he seeks to impose a new style before the rematch in 2022.

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