Mike Tyson traded blows with some of the greatest heavyweights of his generation.
‘Iron’ Mike is considered one of the best fighters to have ever graced the ring, with his ferocious punch power and entertaining style causing mayhem for some of the world’s leading heavyweights between the 80s and early 00s.
Tyson became the youngest ever heavyweight champion aged 20, as well as becoming undisputed king for three years from 1987 to 1990, and duelled with the likes of Larry Holmes, Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno.
He will now surprisingly return to the ring in a bout with Jake Paul on July 20, with the influencer set to follow in the footsteps’ of hallowed names who have shared the ring with Tyson.
Ten years prior to his upcoming appearance, he named famous foe Evander Holyfield as the ‘best overall’ fighter and ‘best puncher’ that he challenged.
In an interview with The Ring in April 2014, Tyson said: “Great champion: chin, heart, determination, work ethic, demeanour.
“He threw terrific shots with both hands and with bad intentions.”
Tyson first fought Holyfield in a huge 1996 showdown for the WBA heavyweight world title, being stopped on his feet by the referee in the eleventh stanza.
The pair then touched gloves in an immediate rematch in June 1997, which saw Tyson infamously disqualified after biting off his rival’s ear during a clinch.
Despite the incident, the heavyweights are now friends and have even proposed a money-spinning trilogy.
Despite never beating Holyfield, Tyson claimed that the best technical boxer he came up against was Tony Tucker in August 1987, who he also credited with possessing the best jab.
He continued: “He had an excellent jab, moved well and was very tough to hit clean.
“I had to be certain to slip well to keep from getting tagged.”
Tucker was the first to rock Tyson in their clash, and proved resilient opposition as he showboated until the final bell.
Tyson was eventually awarded the decision on the judges’ scorecards, but ‘TNT’ proved a near impossible target to hit and gave the legend a serious headache.
Similarly, Tyson found it extremely tough in his clash against Jose Ribalta one year earlier in 1986, who he suggested was the ‘strongest’ boxer he faced, with the ‘best chin’.
He added: “I hit Jose Ribalta with everything, and he took everything and kept coming back for more.
“Jose Ribalta stood toe to toe with me. He was very strong in the clinches.”
Cuban heavyweight Ribalta is a surprise inclusion, given Tyson dropped him three times in the second, eighth and tenth round of their clash.
Tyson was able to stop his rival in the final round, but the journeyman proved a rugged test just two fights before he first became champion.
It comes as less of a surprise that heavyweight great Larry Holmes earned the titles of ‘best defence’ and ‘smartest’ from their famous 1998 encounter.
He said: “Larry Holmes had the toughest defence, even though I did win inside the distance. He was very tough to hit cleanly.
“Larry Holmes was the smartest of all. It comes with being a champion for seven years.”
Holmes attempted to snatch the unified titles from Tyson’s hands but was beaten inside four rounds, after being dropped three times by the slicker boxer in the bout-ending stanza.
The fight billed ‘Heavyweight History’ was ultimately a step too far for Holmes, succumbing to the rising star at the time.
Tyson’s final two categories saw Mitch Green pick up the award for ‘fastest feet’, whom he outpointed in 1986 and was unable to stop with the bout going to the judges’ scorecards.
Tony Tubbs picked up the award for ‘fastest hands’ as he impressed the heavyweight great during their 1988 clash.
Tyson was left stunned by his early start, but was able to weather the storm and score a quickfire second round KO to retain his unified titles at the time.
Paul will rank significantly below all of these figureheads of the sport, but will possess natural advantages given he will be 31 years younger than Tyson.
The ‘Problem Child’ will hope he can achieve just a fraction of what the greats did against Tyson, who will be far from his heyday in their summer clash.
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News Summary:
- Mike Tyson once revealed the best boxer he has ever faced and Jake Paul is following elite company
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