Mike Tyson, once known as the most feared heavyweight in boxing, recently shared his thoughts on a hypothetical fight with Evander Holyfield during Tyson's prime years. The former champion opened up about this during an appearance on Larry King Live.
Tyson, nicknamed 'Iron' Mike, started his professional career with a bang in 1985. He knocked out his first 19 opponents, with 12 of those knockouts coming in the first round. On November 22, 1986, he became the youngest heavyweight champion in history when he knocked out Trevor Berbick for the WBC world heavyweight title.
His dominance continued as he defeated WBA champion James Smith and IBF champion Tony Tucker to become the undisputed champion. Tyson's aura of invincibility lasted until 1990 when he suffered his first professional loss to James 'Buster' Douglas in what's considered one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.
Evander 'The Real Deal' Holyfield and Tyson eventually met in the ring, but not during Tyson's prime. Their first fight happened in 1996, with Holyfield knocking out Tyson in the penultimate round to claim the WBA heavyweight title. Seven months later, they had a rematch that ended in controversy when Tyson bit Holyfield's ear in the third round, leading to his disqualification. This incident became infamously known as 'ear gate'.
During his appearance on Larry King Live, Tyson addressed the question of how a fight between him and Holyfield would have gone if they'd met at Tyson's peak. He said:
"To be honest, the way I've been, those guys know I sleep, I lose interest sometimes and things happen in my life and I lose my incentives, and these guys slip by they get wins here and there, but they know truly if they ever could assess me at my best or if I fought them at their best, they don't stand a chance."
Tyson's words show he's confident he would have beaten Holyfield if they'd fought during his prime. He acknowledged that he sometimes lost focus or interest, which allowed other fighters to get wins against him. But he firmly believes that at his best, he would have come out on top against Holyfield or any other opponent.
While we'll never know for sure how a prime Tyson vs Holyfield fight would have gone, Tyson's comments give us a glimpse into the mindset of one of boxing's most legendary figures. His belief in his abilities at his peak remains unshaken, even years after hanging up his gloves.
