Boxing legend Mike Tyson dubbed Rob Ford the 'best mayor in Toronto's history' after a meeting with the mayor Tuesday afternoon.
After the two met in Ford's office at city hall, they came out to a barrage of reporters. The former heavyweight champion said he jumped at an opportunity to meet with the mayor.
"I'm a big fan of the mayor like most Americans are. I'm just happy to meet him. I'm not here to give him advice," Tyson told reporters.
Tyson pointed the finger at the media when reporters asked him what he thought of Ford's past.
"He has a troubled past because he has 24-survellance of the press," Tyson said.
Tyson is in Toronto for his one-man show, called "Mike Tyson: The Undisputed Truth," which will be hosted at the Air Canada Centre Wednesday evening.
Tyson's show focuses on the highs and lows of his life in a 90-minute production that has already run on Broadway. The show was also turned into an HBO special that aired last November.
The show outlines the 48-year-old's career as a former undisputed heavyweight world champion, but also touches on the athlete's legal woes.
In 1991, Tyson was accused of raping an 18-year-old woman in Indianapolis. In March 1992, He was sentenced to six years in prison, followed by four years on probation.
When asked about the optics of meeting with the former world heavyweight champion boxer, who was convicted of rape in 1992, Ford told CTV Toronto's Natalie Johnson, "That's his personal life," and wouldn't comment further.
Tyson has admitted to substance abuse, and pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine and driving under the influence in 2007.
Tyson has previously spoken to media outlets including the Toronto Star and MacLean's Magazine about Ford, but said he had no advice to offer the mayor, who spent a month in rehab for alcohol abuse and has admitted to using crack cocaine.
In a video of the Toronto mayor obtained by the Toronto Star in November, Ford could be heard threatening an unknown target who is not in the room. Among profanities and death threats, Ford can be heard saying "Mike Tyson."
Ford told media at City Hall that he was inebriated when the video was shot.
On Tuesday, Ford said he's still consulting with doctors about his issues with alcohol abuse.
