Mike Tyson stood on stage July 15, presenting the ESPY award for best single-game performance to Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani. After somewhat getting Ohtani's name right, the boxing legend turned to co-presenter Logan Paul and dropped a bomb: "Shohei's a guy?"
Iron Mike's Unbelievable Question About MLB's Best
Yeah, you heard that right. Iron Mike apparently didn't know if Ohtani was, well, a guy. He needed Paul to confirm the name pronunciation AND the gender. For a player many call the best in baseball today, if not ever, that's just wild, isn't it? Tyson, now 60, might be forgiven for not tracking MLB every single day. His only other known connection to baseball? Sparring with Ted Barrett before Barrett became a major league umpire. So yeah, his circles don't exactly overlap with what's happening on the diamond.The "Award-Winning" Performance Tyson Didn't Know
But still, Ohtani's name not reaching Tyson's ears? That's kinda shocking. We're talking about the game's best player today, if not ever. He earned that ESPY for a performance in Game 4 of the 2025 National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers that was absolutely one for the ages. Ohtani was on another level that night: he threw six shutout innings as the Dodgers' starting pitcher AND went 3 for 3 with three home runs at the plate. Tyson himself said it was an award-winning performance, and it basically clinched the NLCS MVP for Ohtani. Now, it's being honored across multiple sports, getting that big ESPY spotlight. And still, Mike Tyson didn't know who he was. It just goes to show you sometimes, even the legends can be a little out of the loop on what's truly legendary right now.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.