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Boxing and wrestling share a variety of similarities, but they do have their differences which set them apart as well. Boxing is predominantly about the art of discipline whereas wrestling has been created for entertainment purposes, but both industries require you to be able to take a punch or two. Boxing can be traced back to ancient times but wrestling has a somewhat shorter history, emerging in the 19th century but what happens when boxers try their hand at professional wrestling?
Over the last 20 years or so, a number of boxers have all made the transition from one ring to another. Whether that be a short cameo role or appearing over a number of shows, boxers haven’t been afraid to come out of their comfort zone so let’s take a look at some of the more memorable moments from when boxers turned out in the WWE.
Ricky Hatton
The former light-welterweight champion enjoyed a 15-year career as a boxer, which was effectively ended by Manny Pacquiao in 2009. You can bet on Thurman v Pacquiao now ahead of their fight on 20th July, but Hatton certainly demonstrated he could mix it with the WWE boys. It was in the same year that Hatton hosted an edition of WWE Raw, where he made light work of Chavo Guerrero and promptly beat him to the ground before the ref awarded Hatton the win.
Mike Tyson
The self-proclaimed “Baddest Man on the Planet” has made a number of appearances in WWE, from squaring up to Stone Cold Steve Austin to teaming up with D-Generation X. Mike Tyson actually has a place in the WWE Hall of Fame for his contributions over the years, but his most memorable moment was knocking Shawn Michaels clean out to award Stone Cold his first ever WWE title at WrestleMania XIV. Tyson also made an appearance in 2010 where he teamed up with Chris Jericho to fight Triple H and HBK, but swapped allegiance and promptly knocked out Jericho and sided with his D-Generation X buddies.
Floyd Mayweather Jr
It was only a matter of time before Floyd “The Money” Mayweather made his mark in the WWE, and his 2008 showdown with Big Show will live long in the memory. The 7ft giant was set upon by Mayweather and his entourage with a lot of fisty-cuffs and shoving going on. Big Show baited Mayweather into punching him and he duly obliged, breaking his nose in the process! The two squared off at Wrestlemania XXIV where Mayweather proved he could go undefeated in boxing as well as WWE, beating his temporary nemesis once more.
Evander Holyfield
Ten years on from the infamous ear biting incident with Tyson, Evander Holyfield took part in Saturday Night Smackdown’s eMain Event where he was due to fight Matt Hardy. One half of The Hardy Boyz was in the midst of a feud with Montel Vontavious Porter at the time, and MVP called upon Holyfield to help him out. Holyfield was beating Hardy with considerable ease before MVP got too verbal to the heavyweight boxer, and promptly ate a fist from Holyfield who knocked him out.
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