Mike Tyson was the youngest boxer to become a Heavyweight champion with 19 consecutive wins, 12 of those by knockouts.
Tyson, who was called Iron Mike and The Baddest Man On The Planet, was notorious for knocking down opponents hard and fast.
That is why we’ve made a list of some of the best Mike Tyson’s knockouts of his career.
The Best Mike Tyson Knockouts Of His Career
14. Mike Tyson vs Tony Tubbs
The fight with Tubbs was meant to be a step-up fight when Tyson set up a world title tour in 1988.
Tyson had a clean record (33-0, 29KOs), while Tubbs, the underdog, had a decent (24-1, 15KOs).
On March 21st, at the Tokyo Dome, in Tokyo, Japan, Tubbs took on The Baddest Man On The Planet.
Tubbs held his own in the first round, and it seemed like it was going to be a slugfest.
He kept his gloves up and was able to land a few jabs, and Tyson also landed a few on his stomach.
But by the second round, the stomach hits were getting to Tubbs, and he just couldn’t get his guard up anymore.
All it took was Iron Mike’s left hook, and Tubbs was knocked out.
13. Mike Tyson vs Donnie Long
Long had this notion that he was a harder hitter than Iron Mike, and on the 9th of October 1985 at Trump’s Casino Hotel, New Jersey, he got his chance to prove it.
Tyson was 19 at the time, with an (8-0, 8KOs) record to Long’s (15-3, 10KOs).
The fight, which was scheduled for six rounds, lasted for less than 90 seconds.
Tyson aggressively threw a barrage of punches at Long, who was only able to cycle the ring with a game plan that went horribly wrong.
Long’s fight with Tyson pretty much ended his career as a boxer.
12. Mike Tyson vs Buster Mathis Jr.
Tyson had just finished serving a prison sentence and was looking to get back in form with a fight before beginning his second bid for the heavyweight titles.
The first two rounds had Mathias up on all the scorecards; he was putting on a real show and was about to smother Iron Mike.
But in the third round, Mathis gave Tyson an opening for his trademark left hook, and his lights were out.
The fight took place on December 16th, 1995, in CoreStates Spectrum, Pennsylvania.
11. Mike Tyson vs Carl Williams
Williams and Tyson knew each other quite well; they used to spar with each other when they were younger.
Williams felt he knew all of Tyson’s moves and could keep Tyson at bay with a combination of sharp jabs and right crosses.
The fight took place on the 21 of July at Atlantic City’s Convention Hall, and Tyson still had a clean record of 37-0.
Williams thought he had the perfect game plan, but the Tyson he met on the ring was a very different beast.
Iron Mike snuck a punch that made Williams move his head to the right.
Tyson followed it up with a left hook that dropped Williams to the canvas.
The ref took one look at him and ended the match in the first round.
10. Mike Tyson vs Clifford Etienne
The last stages of Tyson’s career were really gloomy, and it felt like something was missing from his career.
He had lost his final title contest in spectacular fashion against Lennox Lewis a few months earlier and was looking to bounce back.
The fight was called “back to business.”
Tyson’s career had taken a downward spiral, but his aggression and power were still intact.
Ettiene couldn’t get past the first round.
He tried to deliver a left jab but missed.
Tyson countered with his left and also missed, but his right hand got the job done, and Ettiene was down on the canvas.
That was Tyson’s 50th and final victory as a boxer, and it took place at The Pyramids in Memphis, Tennessee, on the 22 March 2003.
9. Mike Tyson vs Frank Bruno
Still, with a clean (36-0) record, Tyson was living the dream.
His much-anticipated fight with Bruno scheduled for October 1988 kept getting postponed until a final date was set for February 25th the following year.
After four months of postponing and anticipating, the fight proved to be a real slugfest in the first four rounds.
Bruno was up on all scorecards and almost knocked out Tyson a few times.
Iron Mike showed just how brutal he was when he got Bruno on the ropes before unleashing a series of gruesome uppercuts.
The referee had to end it right there.
8. Mike Tyson vs Francois Botha
This was Tyson’s first fight back after the incident with Evander Holyfield.
Tyson bit an inch off Holyfield’s ear, in the WBA title contest, which Tyson lost by disqualification.
After months of suspension, Iron Mike was back in the ring, this time against Francois Botha.
Tyson was not smiling even from the prefight introductions.
Botha did take the fight into the fifth round before getting knocked out.
7. Mike Tyson vs Trevor Berbick
This fight took place at the peak of Tyson’s powers when he indeed was the “Baddest Man On The Planet.”
The bout took place on the 22nd of November 1988 at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort Casino in Nevada.
Tyson was only 20 years old at the time.
He was already the WBA Heavyweight champion, and Berbick was challenging for the WBC Heavyweight Title.
Berbick didn’t really stand a chance throughout the fight, which lasted two rounds.
The Mike Tyson vs Trevor Berbick fight saw a delivery of one of the best Mike Tyson knockouts you would ever see.
6. Tyson vs Henry Tillman
The Mike Tyson vs Henry Tillman bout was after the legendary 10-round fight with Buster Douglas that saw Tyson lose by knockout.
It was the first loss of his career, and Tyson was looking to come back with a win.
Tillman was a gold medalist who had defeated Tyson more than once at the amateur level.
That made him a real threat to Tyson.
So on the 16th of June 1990, at the Caesars Palace Paradise in Nevada, Tyson faced Tillman.
Iron Mike who was still feeling the sting of his first loss, poured out all his aggression on Tillman; he knocked out Tillman in 167 seconds.
5. Tyson vs Michael Johnson
This was Mike Tyson’s fastest knockout ever.
The Mike Tyson vs Henry Tillman bout took place at the Atlantic Casino Hotel in New Jersey on September 25th, 1985.
Johnson, who had already been knocked out four times in his last six fights, didn’t stand a chance against The Baddest Man On The Planet.
Johnson’s lights were out with a right hook in just 41 seconds.
Tyson was only nineteen at the time—yet some of the best Mike Tyson knockouts occurred at that age.
4. Mike Tyson vs Larry Holmes
It is said that in 1980 Tyson made a call to his Idol Mohammed Ali, on the night Ali (whose health was already pretty bad) lost to Larry Holmes, promising him that he (Tyson) was going to Knockout Holmes in a fight.
Eight years later, Holmes, in retirement, was offered $3 million for a night with Iron Mike in the ring.
Mike Tyson vs Larry Holmes took place at the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on the 22nd of January.
With Mohammed Ali on the ringside, Tyson made good on his promise in the fourth round, dropping Holmes twice before the referee ended it.
It was the first time Holmes was knocked out as a professional boxer.
3. Tyson vs Don Halpin
This was only the third fight of his professional career, and Tyson’s first two opponents were swept away in the first round.
Halpin was a more experienced fighter, though he had a less than impressive record (9-18).
In his first two victories, Tyson was very aggressive from the start.
However, this time, he decided to take things slow and steady.
Yet Tyson was not to be denied dropping Halpin twice in the fourth round before the referee ended the fight.
2. Mike Tyson vs Marvis Frazier
The son of “Smokin Joe Frazier” had some similarities with Tyson.
Like Tyson, he had many victories, and they both loved to knock out their opponents as fast as they possibly can.
While Tyson still had a clean record, Frazier had lost one fight.
So fans and pundits alike expected this to be a major contest.
The Mike Tyson vs Marvis Frazier fight took place at the Civic Center of Glen Falls, New York, on the 26th of July 1986.
What was supposed to be a major slugfest between two bullies ended up being one of Tyson’s first-round knockouts.
Tyson showed precisely why he was The Baddest Man On The Planet.
He unleashed a series of heavy punches that ended the fight in a little over 30 seconds.
1. Mike Tyson vs Michael Spinks
This was the most important fight of Tyson’s career.
The fight had garnered a lot of hype, with both fighters being Heavyweight Champions.
Tyson had the WBC, WBA, and IBF Heavyweight titles, while Spinks was The Ring and Lineal Champion.
Everyone wanted to see who the undisputed Champion would be.
The Mike Tyson vs Michael Spinks fight was set for June 27, 1988, at the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Tickets were as high as $1,500 and had several celebrities in attendance.
As soon as the introductions were over, Tyson went berserk, dropping Spinks twice in a fight that lasted just a little over ninety seconds.
Tyson became the Undisputed Champion.
Final Words
There you have it, some of the best Mike Tyson Knockouts of his career.
In his prime, Tyson was undoubtedly the very best of the heavyweight division and one of the hardest hitters the boxing world has ever seen.
Finally, do share your thoughts about this article in the comments.