Mike Tyson is regarded by many as being one of the greatest heavyweights of all time.
‘Iron Mike’ began his journey in the paid ranks back in 1985 at just 18-years-old, where he won his first 19 career bouts by knockout with 12 of these coming inside the very first round.
He was just 20-years-old when he captured the world heavyweight championship for the first time, defeating Trevor Berbick via 2nd round stoppage to win the WBC heavyweight title in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In the year that followed his historic victory over Berbick, Tyson would defeat WBA champion James Smith and IBF champion Tony Tucker to achieve undisputed status at heavyweight just one month after his 21st birthday.
He suffered the first defeat of his career in 1990 when he was beaten by James ‘Buster’ Douglas in what is often described as being one of the biggest upsets of all time.
In a feature with The Ring Magazine, ‘Iron Mike’ revealed which of his 58 opponents had the best chin – Jose Ribalta.
“I hit Jose Ribalta with everything, and he took everything and kept coming back for more.”
Tyson faced Ribalta just a few months before his showdown with Berbick. ‘Iron Mike’ floored the tough Cuban several times before he eventually stopped him in the tenth and final round of their bout in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Although he never challenged for the world heavyweight championship, Ribalta was known for his incredible toughness and was often described as a ‘gatekeeper’ for the division, facing the likes of Larry Holmes, Vitali Klitschko, Frank Bruno and Tim Witherspoon before his career came to an end in 1999.
