Mike Tyson has faced some of the greatest heavyweights in boxing history, boasting a decorated yet controversial career lasting nearly two decades.
After becoming the youngest world heavyweight champion of all time – knocking out Trevor Berbick at the age of 20 – ‘Iron Mike’ soon became one of the world’s most recognizable figures.
But, even before his infamous showdowns against legends such as Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson had already claimed several notable scalps.
Yet still, when it comes to solving a puzzle in the ring, there was one fighter whose boxing brain proved to be a cut above the rest.
- Read More [Who is Mike Tyson? Get to know the former heavyweight king who owned three tigers and is fighting Jake Paul]
Mike Tyson reveals that Larry Holmes was the smartest opponent he faced
Tyson will collide with YouTube star Jake Paul in a colossal clash on November 15, headlining a blockbuster event live on Netflix.
The 58-year-old has not entered a professional boxing ring since 2005, though, back when he suffered a devastating sixth-round stoppage defeat to Kevin McBride.
Instead, Tyson’s prime years were during the 1980s, when he was ferociously tearing through his heavyweight rivals in typically destructive fashion.
One fighter who succumbed to the Brooklyn-born bruiser’s relentless aggression in 1988 was Larry Holmes, who is widely regarded as one of the most decorated heavyweights of all time.
However, before he was emphatically halted in the fourth round, Homes was able to befuddle Tyson with his elite jab and evasive movement.
“Larry Holmes was the smartest of all,” Tyson told The Ring in 2014. “It comes with being a champion for seven years. He was very tough to hit cleanly.”
Mike Tyson’s boxing story ahead of his fight with Jake Paul
Shortly after his victory over Holmes, Tyson lost his WBC trinket to James ‘Buster’ Douglas in arguably the biggest upset in sporting history.
But then, just over six years later, he was able to reclaim his strap with a third-round stoppage against British boxing icon Frank Bruno in 1996.
Later that year, Tyson suffered back-to-back defeats to Holyfield, before getting stopped by Lewis in the eighth round of their dustup in 2002.
And so, with two more losses that followed within the next four years, the once pulverizing puncher hung up his gloves, only to put them back on ahead of his comeback of course.