Mike Tyson think today’s fighters view themselves more as businessmen than boxers, which may be why Tyson is certain the sport’s top 2 draws ultimately will square off. NFL betting lines

Tyson wouldn’t pick a winner in a potential Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao blockbuster, but he probably did say it would not be a one-sided bout.

“Absolutely, I’m inquisitive about seeing 2 equally competitive fighters fight,” Tyson related on a radio show. “That’s going to be a fight, not any blowout …

“I just believe they’re going to have a fight at some point. If they don’t fight, that’s the question mark of their era. What happened?”

There has been 1 or 2 reported barriers to the bout, including Mayweather’s demand for augmented drug testing for Pacquiao, purse splits and bad blood between the camps. Football odds

Tyson, who is plugging his upcoming live Las Vegas variety show, isn’t blaming either fighter for delaying the bout.

“They’re 2 fighters, they should be able to do what they would like to do,” Tyson said. “We as fans would like to see them fight, but if they’re not satisfied, not comfortable fighting, they ought to be entitled to do what they want.

“I want to see the guys fight, and they know we want to see them fight and are paying as much as they ask us to see them. Till it occurs, we don’t know what is going to happen.”

Some believe Mayweather is ducking Pacquiao, and blame him for the setback. But Tyson is a Mayweather follower.

“I don’t know what Floyd thinks about this situation,” Tyson said. “Maybe this is his method. Maybe he’s waiting Pacquiao out. Who knows?

“I believe he’s awesome. He’s simply a young guy; mixed up in … this is a very serious, vicious system that we’re in, this boxing business. And it is simply tough.”

Tyson, who became the youngest heavyweight champ in history in 1986 at the age of 20, seemed to be channeling some of his very own experiences by describing what Mayweather might be facing. Tyson’s meteoric rise was followed by an abrupt fall, including a jail stint for rape and grim monetary problems.

Mayweather was handed 90 days in jail for a domestic assault case. The sentence was deferred till June so Mayweather could fight Miguel Cotto on on May 5.

“He must have some trust issues,” Tyson claimed of Mayweather. “He has to have trust concerns. Because wow. You’ve got your buddies around you, but when you really consider the situation, you really do not know any person. You don’t know anybody adequate, that well even our family members. I do not know. Money is a powerful motivator for deception. Just from my own personal experience.

“It could have changed. Everybody must love each other now,” Tyson added, guffawing. “We don’t do that stuff. We don’t rip off our mates no more. I was only 20 years ago, 25 years ago. They stopped that.”

Meanwhile, tax officials in the Philippines have filed a criminal complaint against Pacquiao for failure to submit documents to investigators looking into his taxation estimates.