5 legendary boxers who have appeared in WWE

One thing that makes the world of WWE so unpredictable, is that anyone from any form of entertainment or sporting organization can show up at any time. Whether it be musicians, athletes or actors, they are all welcome to get involved to make an impact on the WWE stage.

More recently, we've seen Latin music sensation Bad Bunny appear in WWE. He worked with the company earlier this year, which resulted in a match at WrestleMania 37. The crossover benefited both, with Bad Bunny's stock at an all-time high right now in the music world.

Over the years, WWE has seen multiple athletes appear, including from the world of boxing. It makes sense for two worlds to crossover given their work takes place in similar environments.

That being said, let's take a look at five legendary boxers who have appeared in WWE.

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#5. Evander Holyfield has appeared on WWE television

Former boxing world champion Evander Holyfield made a surprise appearance at the 2007 Saturday Night's Main Event show at Madison Square Garden. Not only did he appear, but he was featured in an exhibition boxing match against Matt Hardy.

Initially, MVP was due to face Holyfield, but was pulled from the match due to a legitimate health condition. The match itself ended in a no-contest.

Matt Hardy spoke about his time working with Evander Holyfield:

"It was amazing. What a shock when they brought him in. It was also intimidating. I’d talked with Evander Holyfield, and everything was cool and ready to go. Evander’s manager was his wife, and apparently, JBL had said something backhanded about Evander being there, and Holyfield heard it because the locker room was wired into one of the earlier shows. He heard it and got upset. I went back to speak to him and he was mad. People were like, ‘what are you going to do? Evander Holyfield’s mad at you, he’s not going to want to do any business.’"

The multi-time WWE Tag Team Champion continued:

"I remember we went out and fought, and everyone was happy with it, and Vince told JBL ‘You have to be careful about what you say, because we almost lost Evander Holyfield,’ and JBL said to him ‘Hell, we almost lost Matt!’ One of the greatest boxers of all-time, and he’s legitimately mad. If he wants to beat me up there’s nothing I can do. It was intimidating, but it was an honor to be in the ring with him," Matt Hardy said (h/t 411 Mania).

Evander Holyfield did not make another on-screen return to WWE and this was considered a one-time appearance. However, he did visit WWE during a SmackDown taping in April 2018.

#4. Muhammad Ali appeared at the first-ever WWE WrestleMania event

Considered one of the greatest boxers of all time, Muhammad Ali stepped into the world of WWE during the first-ever broadcast of WrestleMania. Ali, in fact, had been involved in wrestling beforehand. In 1976, he appeared in the audience and then confronted Gorilla Monsoon in the ring following his match.

Ali had a big role to play at the inaugural WrestleMania event. He was named one of the special guest referees for the main event bout between Hulk Hogan & Mr T vs. Paul Orndorff & Roddy Piper.

Ali's last appearance in the world of professional wrestling came when he was involved in the infamous 1995 Collision In Korea event in North Korea.

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#3. Floyd Mayweather faced The Big Show at WrestleMania

Who remembers when Floyd Mayweather Jr. caused absolute chaos at the No Way Out pay-per-view in 2008? Mayweather ended up breaking The Big Show's nose which sparked a brawl, leaving the WWE Universe wondering what was happening.

It ultimately resulted in a No DQ match at WrestleMania 24 in Orlando, FL. Mayweather used the brass knuckles to knockout The Big Show to pick up the win with his entourage by his side.

Floyd once again appeared in WWE in August 2009 serving as Guest Host of WWE RAW.

#2. Tyson Fury has appeared multiple times for WWE

Tyson Fury is one of the modern day greats of boxing that has appeared in WWE. He has triumphed from positions he shouldn't have been able to get up from and has solidified himself as one of the most inspirational athletes of all-time.

Fury is a WWE fan himself, and appeared on the debut of SmackDown on FOX. He was involved in a staredown with Braun Strowman. Fury appeared the following week on RAW with an open mic, but it sparked a brawl between the pair. It all resulted in a match at the 2019 Crown Jewel pay-per-view.

The boxing champion beat Braun via countout and put in a great showing, whilst reportedly earning around $15 million for his appearance. Fury appeared once again a few weeks later in Manchester, England, and aligned himself with Strowman to fend off The B-Team.

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#1. Mike Tyson made a huge impact in WWE during the Attitude Era

In the midst of the Monday Night Wars, WWE had a surprise up their sleeve which they unveiled on the road to WrestleMania 14.

Mike Tyson was booked into the storyline heading into the show of shows. He ultimately became the special outside enforcer for the WWE Championship match between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels.

Prior to WrestleMania, Tyson seemingly aligned himself with Shawn Michaels and DX. At the event itself, Mike Tyson punched The Heartbreak Kid to cost him the match that saw Stone Cold Steve Austin win the championship. The punch became one of the most iconic moments in WrestleMania history.

Tyson would return to WWE in 2010 to be the Guest Host of WWE RAW, before being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012.