The month of November certainly is special for the heavyweight division’s iron fisted maestro, Mike Tyson (50-6-2, 44 KOs).
YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul (10-1, 7 KOs) is currently gearing up to (possibly) make the worst decision of his life by stepping inside the ring with ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’. While the fight was initially scheduled to take place in July, it had to be postponed after Tyson suffered a medical emergency aboard a plane. And now the stars seem to have aligned once again for the legend as his next fight lands on November 15, a month etched into the fable of the kid from Brownsville. It was in this very month that a 20-year-old Tyson, fueled by unceasing ambition and a hunger forged in the streets of Brooklyn, ascended to the pedestals of boxing Valhalla.
Tyson faced, then, WBC heavyweight champion, Trever Berbick (49-11-1, 33 KOs) at the Las Vegas Hilton in Winchester, Nevada on November 22, 1986. Berbick who was 32 at that time, had an array of victories under his belt, including a decision win against boxing legend, Muhammad Ali in 1981, at the infamous ‘Drama in Bahama’ showdown, which also marked Ali’s last professional performance. He had won the WBC title only a few months prior to the Tyson fight, after defeating Pinklon Thomas.
Meanwhile, Tyson had garnered quite a fan following by that time, even gaining notoriety as an unrivaled crowd puller. While many fighters of today struggle to fight two (or even one) bouts in a year, Tyson had already fought 12 fights in 1986, with a host of sensational performances, including the 30 second KO of Marvis Frazier. This was when Berbick was asked to defend his title against Tyson.
The Boy Becomes A Man
The fight was largely a one-sided affair, with Tyson exerting dominance from the get-go. With a hunger and resilience further fueled by the loss of his mentor, Cus D’Amato, the previous year, every shot that Tyson placed was a calculated one.
In the beginning of the first round, Tyson rattled Berbick with powerful blows that stayed true to the ‘Iron Mike’ moniker. By the end of the round, Berbick was struggling to stay on his feet. In a last-ditch effort, he lunged at Tyson, only to be hit with a four-punch combination that sent him across the ring.
The second round was no different, and the young boxer quickly dropped his opponent with a combination. He answered the referee’s call and got back up to stay in the fight. While he tried to launch an offensive, it came short against Tyson. The fight ended at 2:35 during the second round when Tyson hit Berbick with a right to the body followed by a left hook to the head dropping him for the second time. Berbick attempted to get up twice (albeit unsuccessfully), which in turn, pushed referee Mills Lane to call the fight. Tyson was declared the winner via knockout.
The Aftermath
At 20 years old, Tyson was crowned the youngest world heavyweight champion of all time, breaking Floyd Patterson’s 30-year-old record. Notably, Patterson, who was also one of D’Amato’s prodigies and was 21 when he was awarded the title in 1956. Tyson would then go on to dominate the division for the rest of the decade, becoming one of the most feared names in the sport of boxing. Berbick didn’t return to the ring until the year 2000. While he experienced some success, he was unable to recapture his former glory. Berbick tragically lost his life in 2006, when he was murdered following a land dispute in Norwich, Jamaica.
As Paul prepares to face Tyson, it will surely do him good to remember Tyson’s words after the Berbick fight. “I’m the youngest heavyweight champion in history,” he said at the news conference following the bout.“And I’m going to be the oldest.”
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