The stars came out for Mike Tyson’s return. Having been out of action, for the most part being in jail, for over four years, the former heavyweight champ was a bigger star than ever.
Hot on the heels of the BoxRec greatest-ever fighters list comes a top-10 heavyweight chart from the same source – The pound-for-pound list drew plenty of attention, debate, criticism and some praise.
On this day in 2004, former two-time heavyweight king Mike Tyson was an ageing, past his best former superstar, fighting only for money – Fans liked to play the game in pretending that Tyson was still THE man, still the biggest puncher in the division, yet in truth the youngest heavyweight king in history was old, tired and looking to get out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OVt_tPsv6Y
How many fighters are remembered mostly, unfairly, due to their last fight, a crushing and humiliating loss?
Case in point the great Michael Spinks.
The two superstar heavyweights may not have been that different in age, but when Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson finally fought – on this day 17 years ago – the fight was no contest.
Arguably one of the most fascinating Dream Fights ever, fans still love to debate what would have happened had former heavyweight champions George Foreman and Mike Tyson clashed in the ultimate battle of punchers.
It’s coming up three years since The Greatest, Muhammad Ali, passed away. Yet no-one will ever forget him, least of all hardcore fight historian and fellow great Mike Tyson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vp2ZeNEPNlA
At the time of his rendering an ageing Larry Holmes unconscious, in disturbing fashion, not too many fans, experts or historians took too much notice of the Mike Tyson KO win; certainly the reigning heavyweight champ was given little praise or credit for taking out the 38 year old who had himself ruled the division from 1978 to 1985.
Twenty years ago, former heavyweight king Mike Tyson was the single most unpredictable fighter on the planet. No-one – as in absolutely no-one, not even Tyson himself – knew what would happen, what Tyson might do, when he was in the ring.
Like many fighters before him, Anthony Joshua is a huge fight fan (it seems obvious a successful fighter would be a fan of his chosen sport but there are exceptions: Jermain Taylor for example, who said as champ that he is no boxing fan) – and AJ is also a student of the history of boxing.