Mike Tyson has made headlines recently for his return to the ring at 58-years-old, but boxing fans will always remember him from his prime days.
The 5 ft 10 in heavyweight from Brownsville, Brooklyn burst onto the scene under the tutelage of Cus D’Amato, winning his first 19 pro contests inside six rounds. He would become the youngest ever world heavyweight champion in 1986 by blowing out Trevor Berbick in two.
Tyson’s rise continued for nine more fights, including victories over Larry Holmes and Frank Bruno, before he was shockingly defeated by Buster Douglas in Tokyo. Four victories later and a stint in prison would see some of his best athletic years go to waste.
On his return he won back the world title with another victory over Bruno, sending the Brit into retirement, but fell short in infamous back-to-back losses against Evander Holyfield.
‘Iron’ Mike is regarded as one of the best heavyweights in the sport’s history, though Holmes – who was 38 at the time of losing to Tyson – believes he wouldn’t have been so well-regarded in the seventies. He explained why in a resurfaced clip from an interview alongside Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali.
“Everybody in this room here would’ve been able to beat Mike Tyson. Mike Tyson was born [in the right era]. You’d have never heard of him [in my era].”
Holmes made his name by toppling the likes of Ken Norton, Earnie Shavers, Tim Witherspoon and Ali, though it’s widely agreed that the man known as ‘The Greatest’ shouldn’t have been in the ring at that stage of health battles.
‘The Easton Assassin’ – 69 wins from 75 fights and the only fighter to stop Ali inside the distance – is recognised alongside Tyson as one of the greatest, though he clearly feels their fight would have played out differently had it happened earlier in his career.
