Mike Tyson shared the ring with a number of legendary heavyweights throughout his storied professional career.
Tyson entered the paid ranks back in 1985 as an 18-year-old and would go on to establish himself as a serious contender within a matter of months, winning his first 19 bouts via stoppage.
He wrote his name into the boxing history books in 1986 when he defeated WBC heavyweight champion Trevor Berbick to become the youngest world heavyweight champion of all time at 20 years and 145 days old, a record that remains unbroken to this very day.
Tyson added the WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles to his collection in the year that followed his victory over Berbick to become the undisputed champion just one month after he turned 21-years-old.
Despite proving to be arguably the most ferocious fighter on the planet during his prime, Tyson suffered his fair share of defeats along the way with two of these coming at the hands of Evander Holyfield between November 1996 and June 1997.
Speaking to The Ring Magazine, ‘Iron Mike’ didn’t hesitate to reveal Holyfield as the best fighter that he ever crossed paths with.
“Great champion: chin, heart, determination, work ethic, demeanour.”
Holyfield became the first fighter in boxing history to capture the undisputed world championship at both cruiserweight and heavyweight, a feat that was only matched in May of 2024 by Ukrainian great Oleksandr Usyk.
‘The Real Deal’ is often regarded as being one of the greatest heavyweights to have ever graced the sport, boasting victories over the likes of Tyson, George Foreman, Larry Holmes and Riddick Bowe amongst many others.
