The long career of Mike Tyson is arguably the most attention-grabbing in boxing history. From 59 all the way down to 1, we rank each of his performances in order of excellence.
59. JAKE PAUL (l pts 8)
November 15 2024, AT&T Stadium, Arlington
Tempting as it may be to place this one higher because 58-year-old Tyson lasted eight rounds with a man 31 years his junior, the truth remains that he’d never looked slower or more vulnerable.
58. EVANDER HOLYFIELD (l dq 3)
June 28 1996, MGM Grand, Las Vegas
Though this version of Tyson was still a very good Tyson, biting a chunk out of his opponent’s ear and getting disqualified marks this one down as a truly abysmal night at the office.
57. KEVIN McBRIDE (l rtd 5)
June 11 2005, MCI Center, Washington
McBride was mediocre yet still forced Tyson, 39, to quit and signal the end of his career.
56. DANNY WILLIAMS (l ko 4)
July 30 2004, Freedom Hall State Fairground, Louisville
In fairness, the ageing Tyson started well enough, but his subsequent capitulation highlighted his desire to be anywhere other than a boxing ring at this stage of his life.
55. ORLIN NORRIS (nc 1)
October 23 1999, MGM Grand, Las Vegas
Tyson clumps Norris after the bell to end the first round. Norris falls to the mat. Norris says his knee hurts and can’t continue. Tyson goes mental.
54. LARRY SIMMS (w ko 3)
July 19 1985, Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie
Tricky one to rate because no footage exists. Rumors persisted at the time that Tyson’s team – by then regularly posting footage of their man to boxing journalists to drum up publicity – destroyed all evidence of this contest, such was Tyson’s ho-hum showing.
53. MARK YOUNG (w tko 1)
December 27 1985, Latham Coliseum
Young, apparently only clipped, goes down like he’s been hit by a wayward aeroplane.
52. RICARDO SPAIN (w tko 1)
June 20 1985, Resorts Int., Atlantic City
In his TV debut, Tyson takes out the overmatched Spain with a huge left hook and it’s all over inside 40 seconds.
51. TRENT SINGLETON (w tko 1)
April 10 1985, Albany, New York
Another record-building exercise. Singleton, out of his depth from the moment he set eyes on 18-year-old Mike, is dropped twice in the opening minute.
50. DON HALPIN (w ko 4)
May 23 1985, Albany, New York
Tyson appears to consciously take his time, bank some rounds, before growing bored and uppercutting Halpin into oblivion.
49. ROBERT COLAY (w ko 1)
October 25 1985, Atlantis Hotel, Atlantic City
The famous Tyson crouch, from which several explosions were born, can be spotted here before he hurls a left hook that ends matters after 37 seconds.
48. WILLIAM HOSEA (w ko 1)
June 28 1986, Houston Field House, Troy, New York
After managing to land a clean left hook to Tyson’s head, Hosea took a left-right to the body, hit the floor, misjudged the count, and, several years later, claimed a poor choice of footwear made a hard task even harder.
47. STEVE ZOUSKI (w ko 3)
March 10 1986, Nassau Coliseum
By his own breakneck standards, Tyson labored somewhat for two rounds against a fighter with only two wins from his previous 10 bouts. The right-left combo that finished matters, however, was laced with typical barbarity.
46. BRIAN NIELSEN (w rtd 7)
October 13 2001, Parken, Copenhagen
The boxing world, so eager to see 35-year-old Tyson take on champion Lennox Lewis, largely forgave this below-par showing.
45. MIKE JAMESON (w tko 5)
January 24 1986, Trump Plaza, Atlantic City
Tyson ventures into the fifth round for the first time against Jameson, a decent gatekeeper who had quite enough to contend with before being ordered by commissioners to shave off his beloved beard beforehand.
44. JOHN ALDERSON (w rtd 2)
July 11 1985, Trump Hotel, Atlantic City
Gutsy Alderson shows rare self-belief for a Tyson opponent and inevitably pays the price for inviting Iron Mike to do his worst.
43. MICHAEL JOHNSON (w ko 1)
September 5 1985, Atlantis Hotel, Atlantic City
You’ve no doubt seen the cinematic right-hand finish on numerous Tyson showreels.
42. LORENZO CANADY (w ko 1)
August 15 1985, Resorts, Atlantic City
Before he became cannon fodder for the likes of Riddick Bowe, Tommy Morrison, Alex Stewart, and Bruce Seldon, Canady was a 3-0 hopeful who had to wait all of four seconds to sample his first power shot from a rampaging Mike Tyson.
41. CONROY NELSON (w tko 2)
November 22 1985, Latham Coliseum
Ringside seats were $20 to watch Tyson ace his then-toughest test.
40. LORENZO BOYD (w ko 2)
July 11 1986, Stevensville Hotel, Swan Lake, New York
“I’ve examined the things that Mr. Tyson does and I know what I’m going to do to him when he makes those mistakes. I’m going to hurt him,” said Boyd, who would suffer a broken nose in the opening round.
39. SAMMY SCAFF (w tko 1)
December 6 1985, Felt Forum, New York
Scaff was another to leave the ring with his hooter in woeful shape. More noteworthy is that Tyson wore his signature black trunks for the first time.
38. DAVID JACO (w tko 1)
January 11 1986, ESPCC, Albany
Jaco, a respectable 19-5 heading in, angrily claimed he’d only been down twice in response to the referee telling him he’d hit the floor on three occasions, hence why he was stopping the mismatch. Needless to say, it was the official’s mathematics that were correct.
37. STERLING BENJAMIN (w tko 1)
November 1 1985, Latham Coliseum
Tyson showed off his body punching prowess with vicious hooks from both hands.
36. PETER McNEELEY (w dq 1)
August 19 1995, MGM Grand, Las Vegas
Kinda fun as Tyson, not yet 30 and freshly out of prison, obliges McNeeley’s ill-advised desire to trade punches.
35. JULIUS FRANCIS (w tko 2)
January 29 2000, MEN Arena, Manchester
Francis, the British champion, shows courage to keep getting up and Tyson displays enough of his old menace to keep putting him down.
34. BUSTER MATHIS JNR (w ko 3)
December 16 1995, Core States Spectrum
In his second post-prison comeback bout, Tyson is not quite the destroyer of old but nonetheless gets the job done against a solid fringe contender.
33. BRUCE SELDON (w tko 1)
September 7 1996, MGM Grand, Las Vegas
On paper, an excellent win. In reality, the meekest of surrenders from a seemingly terrified Seldon.
32. LENNOX LEWIS (l ko 8)
June 8 2002, The Pyramid, Washington
The courage Tyson exhibited while enduring his worst beating is often forgotten.
31. MITCH GREEN (w pts 10)
May 20 1986, Madison Square Garden, New York
“I had fun in there,” the 19-year-old prospect enthused after being forced to go the distance by an unwilling Green.
30. ANDREW GOLOTA (nc 2)
October 20 2000, The Palace, Auburn Hills
In what was brewing into a tense and exciting affair, Golota – erratic in the extreme – suddenly quit at the end of the second round citing an injured skull. Then Tyson failed a test when marijuana was discovered in his system, which must have been some kind of mistake, surely.
29. CLIFFORD ETIENNE (w ko 1)
February 22 2003, The Pyramid, Memphis
Tyson’s final victory was fittingly emphatic. One punch and not a minute on the clock.
28. LOU SAVARESE (w tko 1)
June 24 2000, Hampden Park, Glasgow
Frank Warren, Tyson’s then-promoter, entered the scene with a severely bruised eye as a precursor to Tyson’s maniacal state of mind. Savarese was swiftly destroyed, the referee almost wiped out as Tyson refused to stop attacking, and Lennox Lewis’ non-existent children were put on Mike’s post-fight menu.
27. BUSTER DOUGLAS (l ko 10)
February 11 1990, Tokyo Dome
Out of sorts from the start, Tyson looked as bewildered as everyone else as Douglas crafted his very own masterpiece. Tyson, in a moment of instinctive brilliance, almost ruined it with a beautiful uppercut in the eighth.
26. DONNIE LONG (w tko 1)
October 9 1985, Atlantic City
A favorite of the Tyson diehards. Three knockdowns, textbook left hooking, and a kiss blown to the camera to celebrate. What a way to spend 88 seconds.
25. EDDIE RICHARDSON (w tko 1)
November 13 1985, Ramada-Houston Hotel, Houston
Tyson does the memory of Cus D’Amato proud in his first outing since the death of his beloved mentor.
24. HENRY TILLMAN (w ko 1)
June 16 1990, Caesars Palace, Las Vegas
Revenge served over old amateur conqueror in first post-Douglas bout.
23. ALFONZO RATLIFF (w tko 2)
September 6 1986, Las Vegas Hilton
Tyson secured a shot at WBC titlist Trevor Berbick with this two-round toasting of a former cruiserweight champion.
22. REGGIE GROSS (w tko 1)
March 13 1986, Madison Square Garden, New York
Full credit to Gross for going in all guns blazing. Tyson seemed to enjoy it, too, as he danced beneath the bullets before defining the contest with one left hook.
21. EVANDER HOLYFIELD (l tko 11)
November 9 1996, MGM Grand, Las Vegas
Tyson may have been on the wrong end of another gargantuan upset, but he played his part in one of the most exciting heavyweight battles in history.
20. RAZOR RUDDOCK (w pts 12)
June 28 1991, Mirage Hotel, Las Vegas
Bruising, untidy sequel which confirmed to critics that Mike, barely 25 years old, had already lost something from his terrifying peak.
19. BONECRUSHER SMITH (w pts 12)
March 7 1987, Las Vegas Hilton
Beyond dull, but an older Tyson may have lost his cool under Smith’s spoiling tactics and showed discipline to boss almost every second of the 2,160. A shame that “Bonecrusher” didn’t come to life until the final round when he momentarily got Tyson’s attention with a hefty counter. “It could have been worse,” read one report, “it could have been scheduled for 15 rounds.”
18. HECTOR MERCEDES (w tko 1)
March 6 1985, ESPCC, Albany
Where it all began. Mercedes, setting the scene perfectly, was wiped out in a whirlwind of pure aggression.
17. ALEX STEWART (w tko 1)
December 8 1990, Convention Center, Atlantic City
Though the decimation of Stewart was criticized by Larry Merchant in the aftermath, largely due to Stewart being deemed unworthy, Tyson would describe this as his finest showing.
16. FRANK BRUNO (w tko 5)
February 25 1989, Las Vegas Hilton
Bruno became one of the first men to cause Tyson to take a backward step in a memorable opening round but the world champion, perhaps already past his best, brushed it off to bludgeon the brave Brit into fifth round submission.
15. FRANS BOTHA (w ko 5)
January 16 1999, MGM Grand, Las Vegas
Perhaps most famous for Tyson trying on more than one occasion to break Botha’s arm, this should also be remembered as a rare fight in which the former heavyweight king overcame adversity to win. And the solitary punch responsible for the turnaround is among the finest that Tyson threw.
14. JAMES TILLIS (w pts 10)
May 3 1986, Civic Center, Glens Falls
Providing the type of test that every prospect needs, perennial contender Tillis was coming into the fight when Tyson – in a technically superb move – dipped and landed a left in round four. Tillis went down but lasted the course, showing the teenager plenty of tricks along the way.
13. CARL WILLIAMS (w tko 1)
July 21 1989, Convention Center, Atlantic City
There was some debate about the stoppage being premature, but people now forget how highly regarded Williams was as Tyson paraded his cloak of invincibility for the final time.
12. TONY TUBBS (w tko 2)
March 21 1988, Tokyo Dome
Though Tubbs’ marshmallow physique left a lot to be desired, he was a quality heavyweight who boxed with purpose and poise in the opening round. But his shot at Tyson came during the champion’s absolute peak and he was taken out in the following stanza.
11. JESSE FERGUSON (w tko 6)
February 16 1986, Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy
Ferguson came without fear and with a plan, but Tyson – only 19 – systematically broke down the contender-cum-gatekeeper.
10. MARVIS FRAZIER (w tko 1)
July 26 1986, Civic Center, Glens Falls
The sight of Frazier unconsciously crumbling into a seated position on the canvas served as a harrowing warning for the rest of the division.
9. FRANK BRUNO (w tko 3)
March 16 1996, MGM Grand, Las Vegas
For one night only, as Bruno – not remotely in the mood for a slugfest – was effortlessly beaten, it looked like the Tyson of old was back in town.
8. RAZOR RUDDOCK (w tko 7)
March 18 1991, Mirage Hotel, Las Vegas
While this performance did not receive widespread acclaim at the time – everyone was seemingly waiting for Tyson to get back to wiping out all-comers inside a minute – it is arguably his finest post-Douglas showing.
7. JOSE RIBALTA (w tko 10)
August 17 1986, Trump Plaza, Atlantic City
Ribalta came to fight and in doing so provided Tyson the platform to show off his burgeoning arsenal for 10 punishing rounds. The choreographed combos, punctuated by uppercuts and hooks, thrice dropped his gutsy and capable foe before the referee rescued him on the ropes.
6. TYRELL BIGGS (w tko 7)
October 16 1987, Convention Hall, Atlantic City
Tyson, at his cruelest, dished out a beating so frightful it almost became too hard to watch. Biggs, a 1984 Olympic champion, was never the same again.
5. PINKLON THOMAS (w tko 6)
May 30 1987, Las Vegas Hilton
The talented former WBC boss had his moments with his jab but could do nothing when the end came in the sixth. And that finish, as Thomas’ head bounced from one Tyson fist to the other, remains astonishingly savage.
4. TONY TUCKER (w pts 12)
August 1 1987, Las Vegas Hilton
Tucker was unbeaten in 34, the IBF beltholder and an outstanding heavyweight. Tyson overcame numerous disadvantages and a poor start to win a unanimous decision and unify the titles for the first time since 1978. An oft-underrated performance from “Iron” Mike.
3. TREVOR BERBICK (w tko 2)
November 22 1986, Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas
The finale bordered on the comedic as Berbick’s legs jellied and he toppled three times from one punch. A coronation of the ages, cemented by Barry Tompkins’ on-the-money commentary: “And we.. have a new era.. in boxing!”
2. MICHAEL SPINKS (w ko 1)
June 27 1987, Convention Hall, Atlantic City
Revisionists will point to much of Spinks’ career being spent down at light heavyweight and label this a mismatch. It certainly wasn’t going in. Spinks, who had twice beaten Larry Holmes (albeit contentiously) and thrashed Gerry Cooney, was regarded as one of the best fighters in the entire sport and this bout was one of the most eagerly awaited in the division’s history. Then came the 91-second mauling.
1. LARRY HOLMES (w rsf 4)
January 22 1988, Convention Center, Atlantic City
Tyson never looked better and the great Holmes, as he fought on until the turn of the century while securing two further title tries, never came close to enduring a thrashing as complete as this. Tyson maturely went to work in the opening two rounds, remained calm during a brief Holmes fightback in the third, and applied the finishing touches in the fourth.
