1995 saw Mike Tyson released from prison and return to the boxing ring, which was bad news for his first fight victim.
After four years away after his 1991 arrest, Mike Tyson came back looking leaner, meaner, and hungrier than ever for his long-awaited boxing return.
“Iron Mike” was released from prison on March 25, 1995, and just days later held a press conference alongside Don King to announce his first fight back in his quest to once again become world Heavyweight champion.
While a fight with George Foreman was rumored, Tyson instead signed up to face a little-known fighter that even he knew nothing about going into the Las Vegas clash.
Mike Tyson admitted to never having seen Peter McNeeley fighting before
Very few people knew about Peter McNeeley as a boxer in 1995, including Tyson.
The American fighter had an impressive 36-1 record going into the fight, mostly via knockout, although he had yet to face anybody even remotely close to Tyson’s skill set in the ring.
While McNeeley would have studied his opponent in the build-up, Tyson didn’t even bother watching any fight footage, as he admitted to Larry King before the bout.
Tyson said: “I’ve never seen Peter fight before. He’s cute, he’s funny,” Tyson joked.
“He’s cute and he’s funny, like we said. He’s gonna be even funnier Saturday. Once we’re in here, it’s a totally different business.”
Tyson admitted to wanting to harm his opponent that night, which is exactly what he did once the bell rang.
Mike Tyson beat Peter McNeeley so badly that his corner had to rush the ring to stop the fight
Despite having nothing to go on when standing across from McNeeley, Tyson did exactly what fans expected – decimation.
The former Heavyweight champion wasted little time in reminding fans why he was so feared in the ring before his incarceration.
McNeeley sprinted towards Tyson as soon as the bell rang, trying to take the fight to him. However, he was quickly knocked down just seconds into the fight, before going down a second time to another series of left hooks and right uppercuts.
To his credit, McNeeley got to his feet and was ready to carry on, but his corner had different ideas. They rushed the ring, stopping him from competing and earning a disqualification finish for their fighter.
The glassy-eyed McNeeley didn’t look like he should be competing, and the referee would have likely ended the fight had they not jumped in the ring.
The bout lasted just 89 seconds, marking one of the quickest finishes Tyson had in years, and signaling to everyone in the Heavyweight division that he was back to his best and coming for the title.