Mike Tyson was known as an explosive power-puncher and knockout machine, but he was even scarier when things got personal with one opponent in particular.
Mike Tyson was 26-0 in 1986 as he entered into a fight that, to him, was personal.
In his first 26 fights, he had beaten all but two men by stoppage. Tyson won by unanimous decision against James Tillis, and against Mitch Green, who Tyson fought in the street years after their official match.
After these wins, Tyson found himself just one fight away from a match with Trevor Berbick, and his shot at the world title.
The only man standing in his way was a 21-3 fighter named Alfonzo Ratliff.
Alfonzo Ratliff called Mike Tyson a ‘little kid’ and paid the price for it
In 1986, Tyson faced Ratliff in what would be his final fight before cementing himself as a world champion with a win over Berbick.
Ratliff had lost just three times before, including a loss to Tim Witherspoon, whose cousin faced Oleksandr Usyk in his heavyweight debut.
Ahead of the fight, Ratliff suggested Tyson’s youth and inexperience would be his downfall, and called him a little kid.
According to BoxRec, Tyson said after the fight: “I took it very personally when he called me a little kid.”
His anger at the comments showed in his performance, as Tyson, who bit Evander Holyfield’s ear, stopped Ratliff far quicker than anyone had before, finishing him in the second round.
Alfonzo Ratliff barely beat a boxer with one leg in his next fight
Following his loss to Tyson, Ratliff faced Craig Bodzianowski, a one-legged boxer who lost his foot and part of his leg in a motorcycle accident in 1984.
Bodzianowski, determined to fight on, continued his boxing career with a prosthetic leg, and faced Alfonzo Ratliff for the USA Illinois cruiserweight title in 1987.
Ratliff won, but barely. ‘Gator’ Bodzianowski lost a majority decision. He did fight Ratliff a year later, but the result was the same the second time, too.