Mike Tyson’s terrifying surge throughout the Nineteen Eighties is unlikely to ever be matched, with many believing that, on the age of 20, he was unstoppable.
Even before becoming the youngest world heavyweight champion of all time – stopping Trevor Berbick in just the second round – ‘Iron Mike’ had inspired fear amongst his closest rivals, dispatching top contenders, one after the other, with a conveyor belt of ruthless performances.
But then, arguably the most important upset in sporting history was caused when James ‘Buster’ Douglas, a mediocre heavyweight at best, shockingly ripped the title off the Brooklyn-born bruiser.
Just below 4 years prior to his crushing defeat, though, Mike Tyson had steamrolled the son of legendary boxer Joe Frazier, maybe even producing essentially the most emphatic finish of his turbulent profession.
Mike Tyson knocks out Marvis Frazier in the primary round
Ahead of his showdown with Marvis Frazier in 1986, Tyson had already begun his ascent towards stardom.
Actually, their dustup had arrived just two contests before the American claimed his WBC trinket – before he had, with no shadow of doubt, fully established himself as essentially the most formidable athlete of all time.
Frazier, meanwhile, was desperately attempting to flee the shadow of his widely revered father who, in fact, shared the ring with Muhammad Ali on three monumental occasions.
Not only that, but Joe Frazier is, in his own right, regarded by many as one in every of the highest five biggest heavyweights ever, albeit together with his scintillating unbeaten run eventually getting halted by George Foreman in 1973.
Still, Marvis was perhaps fighting a losing battle from his skilled debut and, having inherited the name ‘Little Smoke,’ appeared to only make matters even harder for himself.
And yet, just over three years before facing Tyson, Frazier had secured a unanimous decision victory over British boxing legend Joe Bugner.
The Philadelphian had even shown glimpses of his father’s compelling style, utilizing his dynamic head movement to roll under Bugner’s firepower, while also countering with some lethal hooks of his own.
But, immediately after his career-best win, Frazier suffered a devastating first-round stoppage loss to Larry Holmes, which seemingly had an enduring impact on his punch resistance.
Having been rocked, buzzed and floored in several fights that followed, the vastly unproven contender had no business sharing the ring with Tyson, who made sure to say his dominance from the opening bell of their clash in Latest York.
Before long, Tyson had pounced on a vulnerable Frazier, unleashing a hellacious five-punch combination to finish proceedings inside 30 seconds of the opening round.
What version of Mike Tyson will enter the ring against Jake Paul?
Now, on the age of 58, it’s fair to say that Tyson is a far cry from the once fearsome wrecking machine who had the ability to pulverize anyone he stepped into the ring with.
That said, one would suspect that the heavyweight icon must still have something left within the tank to maintain YouTube star Jake Paul, an expert boxing novice.
It is probably going, too, that the shorter, two-minute rounds will favor an aging Tyson, while Paul may profit from the added protection of their larger, 14 ounce gloves.
https://x.com/MichaelBensonn/status/1852352420220744179
Either way, it’s comprehensible that a large number of individuals have expressed a real concern for the health and wellbeing of Tyson, who’s fighting a person greater than 30 years his junior.
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