Mike Tyson was finished in the third round of an all-action fight.
At the peak of his powers, the American was a true force of nature, bamboozling his opponents with his famous peek-a-boo style, before rendering them unconscious with lightning combinations.
Tyson ruthlessly stopped Larry Holmes to avenge Muhammad Ali, en route to cementing his status as one of the greatest heavyweights of all time.
But long before he ever scaled the boxing mountain, he had to overcome the adversity of getting knocked out.
WOW: Mike Tyson called out by boxing legend who wants to face the icon at Madison Square Garden
Mike Tyson was stopped by Al ‘Chico’ Evans
Prior to his stint in the professionals, Mike Tyson honed his skills in the amateurs, quickly building up a reputation as one of the most exciting prospects in the sport.
On December 12, 1982, the future world champion went to war with Al ‘Chico’ Evans at the U.S. Amateur championships in Indianapolis, Indiana.
While Tyson was just 16, and Evans was 27, fans still feared for the more experienced fighter.
As per The Chicago Tribune, the now-retired athlete explained: “They said he was knocking everybody out. But I really didn`t think much of it because I never feared any fighter.”
Unsurprisingly, Tyson came out of his corner fast, looking to unleash thunderous uppercuts.
Evans added: ”He was real wild the first two rounds, and he was throwing a lot of punches, but I thought I won the rounds anyway. He hit me with a few punches, and I could tell he was strong, but a good defense can neutralize a puncher, so I really wasn`t afraid of his punching power.
”In the third round, I noticed he wasn`t coming out so fast and staying away more. I got a left hook in and that started it.”
The shot sent Tyson tumbling towards the canvas. In a testament to his bravery, the young fighter rose to his feet, but was quickly dropped again with a right hand, and shortly after, the referee jumped in.
The victor concluded: “The referee told Tyson to fight. He stepped toward me, but fell again before I could even hit him, and that was it. The referee stopped it.”
Mike Tyson got dropped in sparring by a massive right hand ahead of a huge fight
Following the Evans loss, Tyson went back to the drawing board and eventually conquered the sport.
However, that wasn’t the last time he’d ever get hurt.
Ahead of one of his biggest fights, he engaged in an intense sparring session.
In a shocking moment, Tyson was dropped by a surprise boxer.