During his prime years, Mike Tyson proved himself to be the most formidable heavyweight on the planet.
He exploded onto the scene in 1985, winning his first 19 professional fights via stoppage with 12 of those wins coming inside the distance.
He won the world heavyweight championship for the first time when he defeated WBC champion Trevor Berbick in 1986, stopping him inside the second round of their bout to become the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history at 20-years-old.
He added the WBA and IBF titles to his collection in the year that followed his victory over Berbick with wins over James Smith and Tony Tucker, achieving undisputed status at heavyweight just one month after he turned 21.
In an interview with ESPN, ‘Iron’ Mike paid homage to former rival Evander Holyfield, who he locked horns with on two occasions between 1996 and 1997.
“I’m a man, I’m not afraid to give credit where credit is due but I never had any idea he could fight as well as he did.”
Holyfield prevailed in their first encounter, which was contested for the WBA world heavyweight title in November 1996, stopping ‘Iron’ Mike in the penultimate round to dethrone him of his title.
Their rematch, which took place just seven months later, ended with one of the most controversial moments in boxing history after Tyson bit the ear of Holyfield during the third round, forcing referee Mills Lane to call a halt to the contest and disqualify ‘Iron’ Mike, leading to their second bout being appropriately named as ‘The Bite Fight’ by boxing fans around the world.
