5 best wins of Mike Tyson in his prime
Mike Tyson is one of heavyweight boxing's all-time greats. Like his idol, Muhammad Ali, he endured a stint in jail that interrupted the best years of his professional career. While he returned to form upon his release, he was no longer in his prime, seeming different inside the squared circle.
At the peak of his powers, 'Iron Mike' was a boxer unlike any other. He was ferocious, stamping the 80s and 90s as his decades of dominance by enthroning himself as the youngest world heavyweight champion, at 20 years old, in the sport's history. It is a distinction he holds to this day.
He was a force of nature, embarking on an unbeaten run that lasted 37 fights before an infamous loss to an unlikely conqueror in Buster Douglas. While all 37 of his wins were ferocious, five stand above the rest.
#5. Mike Tyson vs. Marvis Frazier
Before he was a world champion or held any title at the professional level, Mike Tyson was a surging prospect who had knocked out 23 of his 24 foes. In his 25th bout, he took on Marvis Frazier, a then 16-1 phenom whose namesake is legendary heavyweight boxer Joe Frazier.
Marvis Frazier was a former title challenger, but it hardly mattered against 'Iron Mike.' At the time, Tyson's ferocity was at an all-time high, such that the commentators made no attempt to feign neutrality while calling the fight, as they all believed it was just a matter of time before Tyson beheaded his foe.
Mere seconds into round one, Tyson cornered Frazier, rocked him with an uppercut, and floored him with a vicious combination. His foe was out cold before he ever hit the canvas. Within 20 seconds, the fight was over, even if the referee took 10 more seconds to give an unconscious Frazier the mandatory 10-count.
#4. Mike Tyson vs. Pinklon Thomas
Not every Mike Tyson fight was a quick finish in the first round. Otherwise, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Kamaru Usman would have had more to be upset about when their families had each hosted fight watch parties only for 'Iron Mike' to end their nights early by knocking out his foes in rounds one or two.
One bout that went longer than the typical Tyson experience was his six-round beating of Pinklon Thomas, a former WBC heavyweight champion and generational talent. The bout was Tyson's second defense of his WBA and WBC heavyweight titles and was as ruthless a display as fans had seen in decades.
The 29-0 Tyson battered the 29-1-1 Thomas across six rounds, throwing every punch with murderous intent. By round six, Thomas, who had displayed extraordinary toughness, was at his limit, eating an avalanche of unanswered blows before crumbling to the floor.
While he beat the 10-count at 9, the referee and his own cornerman stopped the fight. Tough as he was, Thomas was never the same after that fight.
#3. Mike Tyson vs. José Ribalta
If Mike Tyson had unfathomable knockout power, José Ribalta had a granite chin unlike any other. The two men squared off right after 'Iron Mike's' quick knockout of Marvis Frazier, and the José Ribalta bout was a vastly different experience. It was a clash between an unstoppable force and an immovable object.
Every punch Tyson threw was meant to blast Ribalta's skull into orbit, landing 220 punches en route to dropping Ribalta multiple times. However, no matter how many times he was floored, Ribalta's resilience and stubborn willingness to continue fighting in the face of insurmountable odds dragged him back to his feet.
However, in round 10, Tyson knocked him down a third time, but Ribalta worked his way back to his feet, determined to continue fighting despite the enormous amounts of punishment he had absorbed. Unfortunately, he was quickly backed up to the ropes, and several unanswered blows later, the referee waved the fight off.
#2. Mike Tyson vs. Larry Holmes
Larry Holmes is one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. He is a former world champion and the only boxer to have ever beaten the legendary Muhammad Ali via stoppage after dominating him en route to the latter's corner, ending the fight. But in 1988, he was on a rough patch.
He had lost twice to Michael Spinks, marking his first-ever defeats as a professional boxer. His third career loss came against Mike Tyson, a man on a mission to avenge his idol, Muhammad Ali. 'Iron Mike' stormed into the ring possessed by vengeance, and he fought like it.
He ran through Holmes in furious fashion, sparking a man who was, at one point, just one win shy of matching Rocky Marciano's 49-0 unbeaten run. In round four, Tyson dropped Holmes twice, and his foe never recovered. On wobbly legs for the rest of the fight, he was on the retreat until Tyson trapped him against the ropes.
From there, 'Iron Mike' unloaded on his foe. In a desperate bid to survive, Holmes tried to circle away from Tyson but shuffled directly a seismic long right hook that left him flat on his back, motionless and unconscious.
#1. Mike Tyson vs. Trevor Berbick
The legend of Mike Tyson began on November 22, 1986. That was the date on which he became the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history. The man he beat to claim that distinction was Trevor Berbick, the then WBC heavyweight champion, with a 31–5–1 record and a win over Muhammad Ali.
When he crossed swords with Tyson in the squared circle, however, he looked nothing like a champion. In fact, he looked as though he didn't belong in the ring with Tyson, who dominated the bout from start to finish. In round one, he stunned his foe several times before causing him to stumble across the ring.
While Berbick escaped round one without a knockdown, he wouldn't be as fortunate in round two, when an aggressive Tyson dropped him twice. After the second knockdown, Berbick's legs were of no use to him, as his equilibrium was gone. He tried getting back to his feet numerous times but stumbled back down each time.
This led to the referee calling an end to the bout, crowning Tyson the youngest heavyweight champion in history.