Berbick’s knockout, Frazier’s beating or “the bitten ear”? Choosing Mike Tyson’s best fight
Igor Nekrasov September 18, 2023, 19:00 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
There are so many great fights in Iron Mike’s career that it will be difficult to choose.
Mike Tyson is one of the most legendary boxers in the history of this sport. The youngest absolute world heavyweight champion, a unique knockout artist whose blows and charisma were feared by absolutely all rivals. During his career, Tyson participated in 58 fights and achieved 50 victories, 44 of which were by knockout. We inform you about the ten most striking and memorable Iron Mike fights according to the “Championship” version, and you can vote for Tyson’s best fight.
Below is the “Ratings” function. The list is formed according to the votes of online users.
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Rating of Mike Tyson’s best fights
Photo: Getty Images
Fight with Trevor Berbick (November 22, 1986)
Mike Tyson’s first world title fight took place in November 1986. Iron Mike against Trevor Berbick, who held the WBC title. In this fight, Tyson not only won his first title, knocking out Berbick in the second round, but also set two world records: he became the youngest world heavyweight champion and wrote his name in the history of the boxer, after of which blow his opponent attempted. get up three times and fall again. This knockout went down in world boxing history forever.
Photo: Getty Images
Fight with Marvis Frazier (July 26, 1986)
Undefeated, but still without a title, Mike Tyson met in July 1986 with the son of the legendary Joe Frazier, former absolute world heavyweight champion. Fraser Jr. came into the fight with Iron Mike with a loss and was considered one of the most dangerous opponents for Tyson. But, despite the loud announcement, there was no intrigue: already in the first seconds, Fraser “grabbed” two of Mike’s most powerful hooks and was deeply knocked out. It took a long time for Marvis to come to his senses and Mike took the fastest victory of his career.
Photo: George Tiedemann/Getty Images
Fight against Bruce Seldon (September 7, 1996)
The WBC did not sanction a unification fight between Tyson and Seldon, so Mike was stripped of the title and fought Seldon only for his WBA title. For Bruce, everything in this fight ended as quickly as possible: in the middle of the first round, Seldon was knocked down, managed to get up and continue the fight, but Mike’s left hook sent Bruce to the ground again. The referee stopped the fight and awarded the victory to Tyson, who won another belt.
Photo: Getty Images
Fight with Michael Spinks (June 27, 1988)
In this fight, Tyson scored one of the most spectacular knockouts of his career. The fight between Tyson and Spinks was the most anticipated event of the year, because two undefeated world heavyweight champions faced each other in the ring, the current one and the previous one. But again there was no intrigue. Tyson knocked Spinks down in the opening seconds, Michael got up and continued the fight, but Mike’s subsequent uppercut sent Spinks to the ground again. This time, Michael couldn’t get up and was left hanging on the ropes, and Tyson scored another brilliant victory in his career.
Photo: Getty Images
Revenge vs. Frank Bruno (March 16, 1996)
Tyson’s first title fight after returning from prison. His opponent was WBC belt holder Frank Bruno. The boxers already faced each other and, for the first time, Tyson finished off his opponent in the fifth round. The rematch did not end well for Bruno: Mike, as in the first fight, pinned his opponent to the ropes and with a powerful series of blows knocked out Bruno in a standing position, only now in the third round, again becoming champion of the world. .
Photo: Richard Macson/Getty Images
Feud with Tony Tucker (August 1, 1987)
Tyson vs. Tucker was the highlight of the year, with two undefeated world champions unifying their belts in a fight for the title of undisputed world champion. It is interesting that the fight between two such powerful boxers took place without knockdowns. Tucker managed to shake Tyson early in the fight, but failed to finish him, while Mike came close to knocking Tony down late in the fight. As a result, Tyson confidently won on points and became the youngest absolute world heavyweight champion.
Photo: VJ Lovero/Getty Images
Revenge vs. Evander Holyfield (June 28, 1997)
Perhaps Mike Tyson’s most famous fight. Even if you don’t know anything about boxing, you’ll have heard that Tyson “bites his ear off.” That someone is Evander Holyfield. Tyson was thirsty for revenge, he actively spent the beginning of the second fight and wanted to knock out his opponent. Holyfield, as in the first fight, took advantage of the clinch and hit Tyson with his head. In the third round, Tyson became enraged by Holyfield’s dirty fighting style and bit his opponent first on one ear and after a while on the other. Evander did not make it to the fourth round and Tyson was disqualified and stripped of his boxing license. The fight received “event of the year” status according to Ring magazine.
Photo: Manny Millán/Getty Images
Fight Lennox Lewis (June 8, 2002)
Tyson’s last attempt to regain his championship belts. The fight between Tyson and Lewis was the highest-grossing fight at the time, grossing over $100 million. Mike had a great first half of the fight, acting actively and aggressively, while Lewis, in the style of Holyfield, tried to “tie” Tyson with the clinch and dirty techniques. After five rounds, Iron Mike was noticeably tired and slowed down. speed, while Lennox, on the other hand, increased his speed. In the eighth round, Tyson was knocked down twice and could not continue the fight, while Lewis retained his championship belts.
Photo: John Iacono/Getty Images
Fight against Evander Holyfield (November 9, 1996)
They tried to arrange a fight between Tyson and Holyfield even before Tyson went to prison, but it did not take place until late 1996. Mike was the favorite, but the fight proved difficult. In the first half of the fight, Tyson looked a little better, but in the second, Holyfield took the initiative. Evander hit Tyson with his head several times, causing Mike to suffer serious cuts, but the referee did not react to this. In the eleventh round, Holyfield still finished Tyson and won, and the fight was recognized as “Fight of the Year.”
Photo: Tony Triolo/Getty Images
Fight with Henry Tillman (June 16, 1990)
After an unexpected loss to James Douglas and the loss of all his belts, Tyson returned to the ring four months later and reunited with Henry Tillman, to whom he lost as an amateur. It was important for Mike to come back out loud, and he did. At the end of the first round, Tillman literally ran away from Iron Mike and paid for it: a powerful right hand from Tyson turned out Henry’s lights and sent him to a severe knockout. This is how the former absolute world champion returned.
