Mike Tyson, the former undisputed heavyweight champion, has named Evander Holyfield as the toughest fighter to knock out in his career. Tyson called Holyfield "a monster" during an episode of his Hotboxin' Podcast.
Tyson's boxing journey started with a bang. At just 18 years old, he stepped into the professional ring in 1985. From the get-go, he showed he was something special. His first 19 fights ended in knockouts, with 12 of those happening in the very first round.
The young boxer's rise to the top was lightning fast. Just 18 months after his pro debut, Tyson became the WBC heavyweight champion by stopping Trevor Berbick in the second round. That win made him the youngest world heavyweight champion ever.
Tyson didn't stop there. Within a year of beating Berbick, he'd added the WBA and IBF belts to his collection. At 21, he was the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
For a while, it looked like no one could touch "Iron Mike". He successfully defended his titles six times. But then came the shocker. In 1990, James "Buster" Douglas pulled off one of boxing's biggest upsets by taking Tyson's titles.
Despite facing many tough opponents in his career, Tyson singled out Evander "The Real Deal" Holyfield as the hardest to knock out. On his podcast, Tyson didn't mince words:
"F*cking Holyfield. Yeah, he's a f*cking monster."
Tyson and Holyfield met twice in the ring. Their first clash came in November 1996, with Holyfield stopping Tyson in the 11th round to win the WBA world heavyweight title. Their rematch in the summer of 1997 ended in controversy when Tyson was disqualified in the third round for biting Holyfield's ears, an incident that became known as the "Bite Fight".
Tyson's respect for Holyfield's toughness comes from firsthand experience. Despite Tyson's fearsome reputation and knockout power, Holyfield stood up to everything Tyson threw at him, cementing his place as one of Tyson's most formidable opponents.
