Mike Tyson has picked Evander Holyfield as the best heavyweight he faced in his boxing career. The former champion shared his thoughts in a recent interview with Ring Magazine.
Tyson, known as "Iron Mike," made a big splash in boxing as a young fighter. He won his first 19 pro fights by knockout, with 12 of those wins coming in the first round. In November 1986, he beat Trevor Berbick in the second round to become the youngest world heavyweight champion at 20 years and 145 days old.
He went on to become the undisputed champion, beating big names like Larry Holmes, Michael Spinks, and Tony Tucker. But in February 1990, Tyson lost his titles in a shocking knockout to Buster Douglas. He bounced back and won another championship by stopping Frank Bruno in March 1996.
Tyson's career had its ups and downs. He lost twice to Evander Holyfield, with the second fight ending when Tyson was disqualified for biting Holyfield's ear. His last title fight was in June 2002, where Lennox Lewis stopped him. Tyson retired in 2005 after losses to Danny Williams and Kevin McBride.
In November 2024, at 58 years old, Tyson made a controversial comeback against Jake Paul. He lost by unanimous decision after nearly two decades away from the ring. Tyson ended his career with 50 wins, 7 losses, and 2 no contests.
When asked about Holyfield, Tyson told Ring Magazine:
"Great champion: chin, heart, determination, work ethic, demeanour."
Holyfield, nicknamed "The Real Deal," has a lot to back up Tyson's praise. He was the first boxer to be undisputed champion at both cruiserweight and heavyweight. He's also the only four-time heavyweight champion in boxing history. Holyfield beat some of the best, including Tyson, George Foreman, Riddick Bowe, Larry Holmes, Michael Moorer, and Buster Douglas.
Recently, Holyfield claimed his achievements make him the greatest of all time. It's worth noting that Oleksandr Usyk has since matched Holyfield's feat of being undisputed at both cruiserweight and heavyweight.
