Boxing in America by David L. Hudson Jr

Author:David L. Hudson, Jr. [David L. Hudson, Jr.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ABC-CLIO
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

FULFILLING HIS DESTINY

Tyson steadily moved up the ranks and overcame adversity. In May 1986, he went the full 10-round distance twice against former world challenger James “Quick” Tillis and against the rough-and-tough Mitch “Blood” Green, a former gang leader. Tyson showed frustration at times but still won both fights easily on the scorecards. After the difficulties with Tillis and Green, Tyson disposed of Reggie Gross, William Hosea, Lorenzo Boyd, and Marvis Frazier—the son of Joe Frazier—in the first or second rounds. In August 1986, Tyson faced a stiffer challenge from the tough Jose Ribalta, who somehow managed to last until the 10th round. In September, Tyson dispatched former world cruiserweight champion Alonzo Ratliff in the second round.

That led to the moment of truth for Mike Tyson, as he was scheduled to face World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight champion Trevor Berbick. If Tyson won, he would become the youngest heavyweight champion in history, passing D’Amato’s former protégé Floyd Patterson. In November 1986, Tyson fulfilled D’Amato’s vision and his life goal by dispatching Trevor Berbick for the WBC world heavyweight championship in the second round. It was a mismatch, as Berbick had no answer for the quicker, younger Tyson. “I was throwing, what can you say, hydrogen bombs,” Tyson said after the fight. “Every punch with murderous intentions.”10

On that day—November 22, 1986—Tyson made history. He overwhelmed Berbick in the second round to win the title. Experts gushed at the potential of the young champion. Angelo Dundee said: “At his stage, I’ve never seen anyone like him. How do you fight him? With a gun.”11

Tyson not only won one heavyweight title but he also added belts from the other two major sanctioning bodies—the World Boxing Association (WBA) and the International Boxing Federation (IBF). In March 1987, he easily outpointed WBA champion James “Bonecrusher” Smith—a man with a college degree and a devastating right hand. But Smith held Tyson for most of the night, losing virtually every round. Only in the last round did Smith ever appear to hurt Tyson. For most ringside observers, Bonecrusher simply wanted to survive and turned into Boneclutcher.

After defeating Smith, Tyson faced a talented, if somewhat troubled, ex-champion by the name of Pinklon Thomas in May 1987. Some boxing observers dismiss this Tyson victory as nothing more than “Iron” Mike beating an over-the-hill ex-champion, but Pinklon Thomas possessed one of the finest jabs in recent memory and a 29–1–1 record. Tyson overwhelmed Thomas, stopping him in six rounds.

In his next bout, in August 1987, Tyson unified the heavyweight championship with another easy unanimous decision over IBF champion Tony Tucker. For a man nicknamed “TNT,” Tucker showed very little firepower and employed the Bonecrusher Smith strategy of jab, move, and hold. That enabled Tucker to last the 12 rounds but led to a lopsided decision victory for Tyson.

Tyson cemented his hold over the heavyweight division by defeating former longtime champion Larry Holmes in January 1988. The former champion, who had lorded over the division as kingpin from 1978 to 1985, had vowed he would school the young Tyson on the art of boxing.

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