A legend of heavyweight boxing has made a sensational claim about the once formidable Mike Tyson.
‘Iron Mike’ made his way into the paid ranks back in 1985 at 18-years-old and would establish himself as a serious heavyweight contender within a matter of months, racking up 19 consecutive knockout victories.
The Brooklyn-native would etch his name into the boxing history books in 1986 when he defeated countryman Trevor Berbick to capture the WBC world heavyweight title and become the youngest heavyweight champion of all time at 20-years-old.
Tyson added the WBA and IBF heavyweight titles to his collection in the year that followed his victory over Berbick, capturing the undisputed championship just one month after his 21st birthday.
Despite that success, it seems that one heavyweight legend isn’t that impressed with what ‘Iron Mike’ managed to achieve during his career.
In a resurfaced interview with Bryant Gumble, former long-reigning heavyweight champion Larry Holmes blasted the credentials of Tyson, as he claims his former rival would have been ‘unknown’ during his era.
“Everybody in this room here would have been able to beat Mike Tyson. Mike Tyson was born right. You’d have never heard of him [in our era].”
Tyson defeated Holmes in what was the second defence of his undisputed heavyweight championship back in January of 1988, stopping his countryman in the fourth round of their clash in Atlantic City.
The bulk of Holmes’ – who has said he took the Tyson fight for money and was not properly prepared – success came during the late 1970s into the early 1980s, where he held the world heavyweight championship from 1978 to 1985. ‘The Easton Assassin’ rose to fame alongside a number of legendary heavyweights, including George Foreman, Ken Norton and ‘The Greatest’ – Muhammad Ali.
