Thomas entered the fight with just one loss on his record and was still viewed as one in all the division’s most dangerous contenders. At 6-foot-3, he owned a respected jab and had previously held the WBC title before losing it to Trevor Berbick in 1986.
Tyson, meanwhile, had already ripped the WBC belt away from Berbick and added the WBA title by defeating James “Bonecrusher” Smith earlier in 1987. The heavyweight tournament was moving toward its conclusion, and Tyson knew one other victory would bring him one step closer to collecting every major title.
The fight was competitive only within the sense that Thomas refused to fold.
Tyson nearly ended matters within the opening round after trapping Thomas against the ropes and unloading a series of hooks and power shots. Thomas survived the assault and spent the subsequent several rounds using his jab, tying Tyson up at any time when possible and attempting to slow the pace. It worked only temporarily.
By the sixth round, Tyson’s pressure had worn him down. A left hook hurt Thomas and opened the door for a savage ending attack. Tyson unleashed a sustained combination that finally sent Thomas crashing to the canvas for the primary knockdown of his skilled profession.
Before referee Carlos Padilla Jr. could complete the count, trainer Angelo Dundee stepped into the ring. The fight was waved off, giving Tyson a sixth-round technical knockout victory.
The image from that night stays one in all the defining snapshots of Tyson’s rise. Thomas is backed toward the ropes. Tyson is stalking forward. The group can already sense the finish.
The victory pushed Tyson’s record to 30-0 and cleared the trail for a showdown with Tony Tucker, who defeated James “Buster” Douglas earlier that very same night to assert the vacant IBF title. Lower than three months later, Tyson beat Tucker and have become boxing’s first undisputed heavyweight champion of the three-belt era.
The loss for Thomas marked the top of his run as a serious heavyweight title threat. For Tyson, it was one other reminder that the heavyweight division belonged to him.
