Boxing legend Mike Tyson is keen to up his profile in China, but is struggling to grasp the country's sardonic sense of humor, judging by his online weibo debut this week.

The former world heavyweight champion opened a verified account on the Twitter-like Sina Weibo service on Monday, and asked in his second posting: "Who's the best fighter in China?"

A popular response was chengguan, China's widely despised enforcers of urban regulations, who have a reputation for brutality.