Mike Tyson finally admitted that he thought Hasbulla was a baby the first time they met—and Nate Diaz thinks it’s hilarious.
In March 2023, the legendary pugilist hosted the diminutive social media sensation on his podcast, Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson. In the clip, which you can see below, Hasbulla rushes up to Tyson and immediately starts boxing with him—something he’s become infamous for when meeting combat sports athletes. Moments later, Tyson snatches up the pint-sized Russian and cradles him like a baby.
Mike Tyson admits he thought Hasbulla was a baby when he first met him 😭
“That’s how I am with children, I was hugging on this guy. He’s like 26 years old…” pic.twitter.com/07R8HCYqOi
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) November 3, 2024
Though it looked like Tyson was just having some fun, many speculated that ‘Iron’ didn’t know that Hasbulla was a full-grown man with achondroplasia, the most common form of short-limb dwarfism.
As it turns out, that was exactly what happened.
During a recent appearance on The Art of Ward podcast with Andre Ward, Tyson admitted that he thought Hasbulla was a child and simply treated him the way he would treat his own kids during the interaction.
“Yeah, I thought it was a baby,” Tyson said. “I thought he was a baby, and he’s over there punching me. I don’t know man, I just… that’s how I am with children… He’s like 26 years old!”
Nate Diaz Reacts to Mike Tyson’s Hilarious Hasbulla Confession
Taking a video of the clip, former UFC star Nate Diaz shared the segment on social media, much to his amusement.
This is hilarious 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/jWpf5TQu9y
— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) November 3, 2024
Mike Tyson will step back into the spotlight on Friday, November 15 when he heads to the 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium for his first professional boxing match in nearly 20 years. ‘Iron’ is scheduled to square off with YouTube star Jake Paul in what is expected to be one of the most-watched fights in combat sports history.
It will be Tyson’s first time competing as a pro since a sixth-round TKO loss against Kevin McBride in June 2005. Following the fight, ‘Iron’ retired with a 50-6 record, 44 of those wins coming by way of knockout.
Meanwhile, ‘The Problem Child’ has amassed a 10-1 record, his lone loss coming against Tommy Fury in February 2023. His wins are mostly made of up past-their-prime MMA stars like Tyron Woodley, Ben Askren, Anderson Silva, and the aforementioned Nate Diaz.
Check out the official trailer for Paul vs. Tyson below:
