Watch: When Mike Tyson secured the 26th win of his career against Cuban veteran Jose Ribalta
![Mike Tyson vs. Jose Ribalta [Top right image credit: @ribaltajose via Instagram]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2021/08/6da3e-16288592762984-800.jpg?w=500)
Three months before Mike Tyson defeated Trevor Berbick to become the youngest heavyweight champion ever, he went through Cuban contender Jose Ribalta in a prepaid HBO event.
The fight was televised live from the Trump Plaza Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on August 17, 1986. At the time, Mike Tyson was ranked No.1 and No.2 by the WBA and WBC, while Jose Ribalta was placed at No.8 and No.10, respectively.
Watch the full fight below:
Mike Tyson dropped the 6'5" frame of Jose Ribalta three times throughout the fight. The first came in Round 2 with a combination of a right hook to the body and an uppercut. The next one was in Round 8, when Tyson landed a brutal left hook and sent Ribalta through the ropes. Finally, in Round 10, Tyson delivered another left, but Ribalta still beat the count at four.
However, Mike Tyson showered Jose Ribalta with power shots as soon as the action resumed, and referee Rudy Battle stepped in to halt the bout at the 1:37 mark of the tenth and final round.
Mike Tyson names Jose Ribalta as his strongest opponent
Jose Ribalta was visibly unhappy with the stoppage after the referee stepped in and declared Mike Tyson the winner. Tyson himself was dissatisfied with his performance and called it a 'bad night' following the fight.
"He had it in his mind he'd come to fight and I commend him," Tyson said afterwards. He fought back. He had the idea he was going to survive. He was hurt pretty bad, but I couldn't finish him. I was disappointed. I had a bad night," Mike Tyson said after the fight [via: FightSaga]
However, years later, in a 2014 interview with RING Magazine, Mike Tyson gave props to Jose Ribalta for the performance he put up all those years ago. 'Iron Mike' named Ribalta as the strongest opponent he has ever faced in his career, ahead of the likes of Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis.
"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," Mike Tyson commented.
In a March 2021 interview with Seconds Out's Ciaran Gibbons, Jose Ribalta revealed that he was up for a rematch with Mike Tyson and was interested in being his opponent for last year's much-awaited return. The opportunity finally went to Roy Jones Jr.
"This exhibition situation, they said they chose Roy Jones. I thought I was going to be selected because even after we boxed in 1986 you had millions of people wanting to see the rematch between me and Mike Tyson. Especially after paying so much money, people want to see people get hit… it was a good fight but there should have been more contact," Jose Ribalta said.
Ribalta's latest Instagram post is a call-out for Deontay Wilder.