At the height of his career, Mike Tyson was the most ferocious fighter to walk the planet.
‘Iron Mike’ was a dominant force during the mid-to-late eighties, winning his first nineteen bouts via stoppage with twelve of those wins coming inside the very first round.
He wrote his name into boxing history back in 1986 when he defeated Trevor Berbick via 2nd round knockout to capture the WBC title, becoming the youngest world heavyweight champion ever – an outstanding record which remains unbroken to this day.
Tyson picked up victories over WBA champion James Smith and IBF champion Tony Tucker in the year that followed that historic victory to achieve undisputed status just one month after just his 21st birthday.
Despite his considerable success, Tyson faced a number of personal challenges outside of the ring which reflected in his later performances. He suffered a number of defeats throughout the final years of his career.
One fighter who got the better of ‘Iron Mike’ – the last, in fact – was American-Irishman Kevin McBride, who forced the big puncher from Brooklyn to quit before the start of the seventh round during their 2005 bout in Washington, D.C.
In an interview with Bloody Elbow, McBride revealed that he could still feel the thunderous punching power of Tyson, despite them locking horns more than 19-years-ago.
“Mike Tyson’s power is unbelievable. I still feel it to this day, more than 19 years later … He hits so hard and power is the last thing to go. George Foreman proved that against Michael Moorer. Sure he was a bit younger than Mike is now but power-wise it is one of the biggest punches in history.”
Tyson – certainly one of the most fearsome punchers the sport has ever seen – made a shock return to the ring last November but he was outpointed by YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in their controversial showdown at the AT&T Stadium in Texas.
