Watch the best boxing knockouts from amercian professional boxer, undisputed world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson with nickname “Iron Mike” (“The Baddest Man on the Planet”). Tyson has 58 official boxing matches in professional career. Most of them 44 finished with knockouts.
The 80s and 90s had a “Mike” for everything! Be it Tyson, Jordan or Jackson – pure perfection each time!
The scariest thing about Tyson is seeing that he’s still swinging as they go down. Absolutely ruthless in the ring.
I don’t think there will ever be a more dangerous heavyweight champion than Mike Tyson!
Mike Tyson’s early boxing career
Mike Tyson’s fate turned for good at the Tryon School for Boys. One of the counselors, Bobby Stewart, saw an excellent boxing prospect in the young teenager from the hoods. So he took him to legendary trainer Cus D’Amato, who, recognizing the youngster’s talents, brought matters to the next level by adopting him.
The duo soon started working on some of the unique techniques developed by the trainer who previously worked with Floyd Patterson. Mike Tyson made his first amateur debut at age fifteen. Participating in the National Junior Olympics games, he won gold medals for two consecutive years, 1981 and 1982. He won the gold medal at the National Golden Gloves tournament in 1984.
Mike Tyson’s professional career
Mike Tyson was now ready to face the world. Launching his professional career on March 6, 1985, he beat Hector Mercedes with a first-round technical win. Eighteen months later, on November 22, 1986, Tyson won his first world title, WBC heavyweight. He became the youngest heavyweight champion in the sport’s history at age twenty. By this time, he had fought and defeated twenty-seven fighters. Out of which, barring one, the rest all were knockout victories.
Sadly, Cus D’Amato was not present to see his prodigy’s achievement. The legendary trainer succumbed to pneumonia on November 4, 1985. Mike Tyson won the WBA heavyweight title the next year and became the world’s undisputed champion. Then, on August 1, 1987, he added the IBF heavyweight belt to the list.
On January 22, 1988, while defending his titles, ‘Iron’ Mike fought former heavyweight champion Larry Holmes. The latter had beaten Muhammad Ali on October 2, 1980. Hence, when the turn came, many reported on Mike Tyson avenging his boxing idol. The fight ended with a fourth-round knockout win for the twenty-one-year-old world champion.
Two years later, fortune changed hands as Mike Tyson faced his first defeat. On February 11, 1990, Buster Douglas knocked out ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ in the tenth round. Though he went on to win the next eight fights and even regained the WBC and WBA titles, the clock was ticking against him. Then, on November 9, 1996, Mike Tyson suffered his second defeat. Evander Holyfield beat him via TKO in the eleventh round. But it was the second fight that entered the pages of infamy.
The duo met for their rematch on June 28, 1997. But the slugfest turned ugly when Tyson bit parts of Holyfield’s right ear. Initially allowed to continue, the referee finally stopped the fight and disqualified Tyson. “The Bite Fight” resulted in the Nevada State Athletic Commission revoking Tyson’s boxing license besides imposing a $3 million fine.
‘Iron’ Mike finally returned to the ring on January 16, 1999. After that, he won a slew of matches. However, his last and final attempt at regaining the championship title ended disastrously. On June 8, 2002, Briton Lennox Lewis sent Tyson to the canvas in the eighth round, dashing the latter’s last charge. On February 22, 2003, Mike Tyson won for the last time against Clifford Etienne. For the next two years, he lost two fights consecutively, the second being the last fight of his career. The former champion formally retired in 2005.
Mike Tyson’s boxing style
A close study of Mike Tyson’s moves, hand movements, and ring strategy would reveal him to be essentially a swarmer. Swarmers, for the uninitiated, are boxers who bear down on an opponent, all the while throwing a volley of punches, including uppercuts and hooks. The only drawback is that the move entails going through foes’ vicious attacks to stage a successful onslaught.
Apart from ‘Iron Mike,’ a few other notable swarmers included Joe Frazier, Rocky Marciano, and Jake LaMotta. In Tyson’s case, Cus D’Amato taught a technique that became the former’s signature style to escape the barrage of punches thrown at him. Through ‘Peek-A-Boo,’ a boxer kills two birds with one stone. First, he creates a potent defense by raising his hands. Next, constant bobbing lets him slip the opponent’s punches and cover the distance. Finally, once inside, at a reasonable time, places a counter-attack. Thus, once inside, Mike Tyson would draw power from the leg he leaned to pull and throw a devastating knockout punch.
Mike Tyson’s comeback
On November 28, 2020, Mike Tyson staged a comeback of sorts. At the Staples Center in Los Angeles, he faced another legend Roy Jones Jr. The fight ended in a draw, though per Compubox, Tyson managed to land a more significant number of punches. The pay-per-view subscriptions crossed $80 million, more than initially expected.
