Boxing legend Mike Tyson caused a stir at the 2026 ESPY Awards when he seemingly expressed surprise that baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani is a man. The moment occurred Wednesday night as Tyson co-presented the award for Best Single-Game Performance.
Ohtani, a player for the Los Angeles Dodgers, was honored for his performance in Game 4 of the 2025 National League Championship Series. However, Ohtani was not present at the New York ceremony. Co-presenter Jake Paul announced Ohtani's absence and conveyed his thanks to the voters.
Following this, Tyson was captured on a hot mic asking Paul, "Shohei's a guy?!" The exchange quickly gained traction on social media, with many users humorously commenting on Tyson's apparent lack of familiarity with the MLB star. One user on X remarked, "This might win best moment of the night," while another questioned, "How does Mike Tyson not know who Shohei Ohtani is?"
Ohtani's award recognized his performance last year, which included hitting three home runs and pitching six scoreless innings against the Brewers. This season, the 32-year-old Ohtani missed the All-Star Game due to a knee injury and was unable to make a scheduled start before the event.
In other notable moments from the ESPY Awards, comedian Marcello Hernandez delivered a monologue that included jokes about athletes such as Tiger Woods and Bill Belichick. One of Hernandez's jokes compared Woods to a character on Grand Theft Auto, referencing Woods' 2026 arrest for driving under the influence near Jupiter Island, Florida. Woods has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
