Heavyweight great ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson once revealed which of his over opponents had the best chin.
Tyson entered the paid ranks as an 18-year-old back in 1985, winning his first 19 professional bouts via stoppage which included 12 first round finishes.
Respective victories over WBA champion James Smith and IBF champion Tony Tucker saw ‘Iron Mike’ become the undisputed heavyweight champion in 1987, just one month after he turned 21-years-old.
As a ferocious finisher, praise from Tyson on a heavyweight’s chin is noteworthy. In a round of ‘Best I Faced’ with The Ring Magazine, Tyson made no mistake in revealing Jose ‘El Nino’ Ribalta as the toughest opponent that he ever crossed paths with, as he claims the tough Cuban took ‘everything’ that he threw at him.
“I hit Jose Ribalta with everything, and he took everything and kept coming back for more.”
‘Iron Mike’ faced Ribalta in August of 1986, just a few months before he would become the world heavyweight champion for the first time in that historic victory over Berbick in November of the same year.
Ribalta would prove to be one of the toughest opponents of Tyson’s career up until that point and it wasn’t until the tenth and final round of their clash when ‘Iron Mike’ was finally able to break ‘El Nino’ down and get the stoppage victory after knocking him down three times and landing over 220 punches.
The durable Cuban would prove to be a tough test for the majority of the opponents that he faced during his career, sharing the ring with the likes of Larry Holmes and Vitali Klitschko before his retirement in 1999.
