Herschel Walker said he could have beaten Mike Tyson in 1988, according to Michael Irvin

As an NFL player, Herschel Walker was one of the last big stars drafted by the legendary Tom Landry to the Dallas Cowboys, with whom he played from 1986 to 1989. He was also part of the now infamous trade that sent him to the Minnesota Vikings and ultimately helped Dallas assemble its championship team of the 1990s.

At the time, Walker was so sure of himself that he remarked, back in 1988, that he could beat heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. This was revealed by his former Cowboys teammate, the legendary Michael Irvin.

Irvin reveals how he met Walker

During the launch of TradeZing, a website for investors that he supports, Irvin discussed what it was like to meet Walker after he came to the team in 1988, a year before Jerry Jones became owner of the Cowboys.

“One of the first things Herschel said to me was, ‘Mike, you know, I really think I could beat Mike Tyson,'” Irvin said.

“This was when Mike Tyson would hit you in the head, and your whole body would just explode,” Irving explained. “I said, ‘Dude, why are you talking like that? What is this, a death wish? What are you talking about?’ But he was very serious.”

“He looked at me and said, ‘I’m telling you, Mike, I can beat him. He thinks he can do [anything] and beat everybody at everything,'” added Irvin.

Those statements were turned into a music video

The fight between Walker and Tyson obviously never happened, but a year later Walker’s statements ended up inspiring the music video by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, better known as Will Smith. The two released the track “I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson” from their third studio album, “And in This Corner…”

The music video featured Tyson, promoter Don King and comedian Chris Rock, but not Herschel Walker. Currently, the former Dallas, Minnesota, Philadelphia and Giants RB is running for the Republican Party to become a senator from Georgia.