A retired heavyweight legend has sensationally questioned the credentials of ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson.
Often regarded as one of the most formidable fighters to ever lace up the gloves, Tyson made his mark during the mid 1980’s when he stormed onto the scene, knocking out the first 19 opponents he faced which included 12 victories inside the very first round.
His crowning moment arrived in 1986 when he blasted out Trevor Berbick inside just two rounds to claim the WBC heavyweight title and become the youngest ever world heavyweight champion, aged just 20-years and 4-months old.
‘Iron’ Mike would go on to defeat WBA champion James Smith and IBF champion Tony Tucker in the years that followed to become the undisputed heavyweight champion. He made a handful of title defences before he tasted defeat for the first time as a professional when he was beaten by James ‘Buster’ Douglas in one of boxing’s biggest ever upsets.
Speaking to Bryant Gumble, former Tyson opponent Larry Holmes claimed that ‘Iron’ Mike would have struggled to compete during his era, which included the likes of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
“Everybody in this room here would have been able to beat Mike Tyson. Mike Tyson was born right. You’d have never heard of him [in our era].”
Tyson clashed with Holmes back in 1988 when ‘The Easton Assassin’ was quite clearly passed his best, stopping the former long-reigning heavyweight champion in the fourth round of their bout in Atlantic City. However, Holmes would continue fighting right up until he was 52-years-old, defeating Eric ‘Butterbean’ Esch in the 75th and final fight of his career.
Despite being known as ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’, even Tyson himself has acknowledged that he wouldn’t have beaten one fighter from the era of heavyweight greats.
