Mike Tyson Boxing Mad With Journalist's Tough Questions

Boxing legend MIKE TYSON faced his toughest opponent in years during a U.K. interview, after a news anchor kept pushing the former fighter to answer a string of difficult questions.

The ex heavyweight champion was quizzed by Sky News journalist Dermot Murnaghan as part of an interview to promote the famous fighter's upcoming meet-and-greet tour of Britain.

And Tyson, who hasn't been in the ring for almost five years, was forced to duck and dodge a series of provocative questions about converting to Islam and his thoughts on America voting in its first black president.

But things took a particularly nasty turn when Murnaghan asked Tyson about his violent past, reminding the fighter of how he once claimed he wanted to punch an opponent's nose "into his brain".

The reporter pushed, "I want to see how much you've changed, and whether you're a different person."

To which a blatantly angry Tyson replied, "I don't know if I'm a different person. Change comes in time."

He added, "You're starting to irritate me now... I guess I did change because I'm not assailing you!"

The situation nearly got out of control as Tyson's tour manager, Jimmy Clyne, tried to storm the set to pull the interview - but was stopped by another reporter, and told Murnaghan would be able to control the heated encounter.

It's not the first grilling Tyson has faced in recent weeks - last month (Oct09), the ex-boxer sat down with Oprah Winfrey in America to address his violent past and to publicly apologise for biting off a piece of opponent Evander Holyfield's ear during one high-profile fight.

--IANS-WENN