It may be somewhat ironic that on the day Mike Tyson steps into the ring again, his most demanding rival in the ring turned professional on the same day some 40 years ago. Evander Holyfield, who kicked Tyson’s ass twice (well, once when he was about to repeat the task before Tyson went completely off the hinges and bit his ear off!), was of course part of the famed American Olympic team that conquered in Los Angeles, with other future stars Pernell Whitaker, Meldrick Taylor, Mark Breland and the less fortunate Tyrell Biggs are all professionals on the same card.

It took place at Madison Square Garden four decades ago, and Holyfield, who turned professional as a lithe heavyweight, won a six-round decision over Lionel Byarm. Holyfield was 22 years elderly at the time, and no one – like no one – could have had any idea how great the ring career of “The Real Deal” would be.

Holyfield, disqualified in the second round of the 1984 Olympic semi-finals, had to settle for bronze. Then he filled his trophy cabinet with gold, a whole cart full of gold.

Today, Holyfield is considered the best cruiserweight of all time, and only the great Oleksandr Usyk can claim to be better or as good as him at that weight. Holyfield gave us his first all-time cruiserweight classic in his 15-round war with the great Dwight Muhammad Qawi. Holyfield went through hell to win by split decision, and the fresh champion had to go to hospital to have his body fluids replaced with an IV drip. Holyfield thought long and challenging about quitting the sport because the battle with Qawi was so tough.

But Holyfield was now the world champion, and his team assured him that he would never have to go through such an ordeal again. It’s possible, even considering the wars Holyfield would find himself in at heavyweight, that no one has ever pushed him as challenging or as consistently as Qawi.

After the unification of the cruiserweight division, Holyfield obviously moved up, and there was already talk of a megafight with heavyweight king Mike Tyson. The two sparred for one round and now we know that Evander won. Tyson could intimidate almost everyone he fought, but he was never able to get to Holyfield like that. Holyfield will have to wait a few years before he gets his substantial chance against Tyson.

First came victories over Buster Douglas to become the heavyweight champion, and Holyfield held on for victories over George Foreman (in a monster PPV hit), Bert Cooper (his first date with Tyson postponed) and Larry Holmes. Before Evander had his first epic fight with Riddick Bowe. Holyfield lost to Bowe on points in 12 hotly contested rounds, but his huge heart was never so, well, huge. The rematch came and Holyfield got his revenge. Evander then lost to Michael Moorer and suffered a heart attack during the fight. This was definitely the end.

No, “cured” and armed with a fresh moniker, “Warrior,” Holyfield returned to the top of Ray Mercer, and then came the rubber match with Bowe. After defeating Bowe, Holyfield ran out of gas and was stopped for the first time in his career. This was definitely the end. No, again.

Holyfield scored a victory over Bobby Czyz while looking decidedly ordinary in the process. Then came the fight with Tyson – “Finally.” Tyson was released from prison and regained two pieces of the crown with basic and quick victories over Frank Bruno and Bruce Seldon. Tyson was the overwhelming 25/1 betting favorite at Holyfield, and people around the world were worried about Evander’s health and even his life.

In his most stunning victory, Holyfield defeated Tyson, dropped him, and then stopped him at the end of round 11. Holyfield was now the king of kings. Well, almost. Lennox Lewis would have to be defeated to remove any doubt as to who is the heavyweight king. First came the comeback with Tyson and the infamous “Bite Fight”. Then, with his ear patched, Holyfield took revenge on Moorer by stopping him for eight.

And then came two fights with Lewis, the first fight was called a draw and was considered one of the worst and most controversial decisions in boxing history. In the rematch, Holyfield performed better, but still lost by decision. Amazingly, Evander was able to fight for another 12 years!

The highlight of this period of unnecessary fighting was the victory over John Ruiz, thanks to which Holyfield won the vacant WBA heavyweight belt, making him the only four-weight champion in history. But the good times, good performances and victories began to end. Holyfield lost then drew to Ruiz, lost to Chris Byrd and was stopped by James Toney. However, Holyfield still refused to retire.

Only after defeats to Sultan Ibragimov and Nikolay Valuev (in a fight in which Holyfield was so close to winning, and if it had been, he would have been a five-time heavyweight champion) did Evander finally hang them up with a TKO defeat of Brian Nielsen.

It was one hell of a journey up and down, but most of all up! Holyfield won with a score of 44-10-2(29). Today, after attempting to come back and box on the show circuit while 59-year-old Holyfield was embarrassingly stopped by Vitor Belfort in 2021, Evander will be watching how his elderly rival Mike Tyson fares as he tries to fight on the show again at the age of 58 years.

But what a career Holyfield had. And it started today, 40 years ago.

As we all anxiously await the fight that will take place on Friday night in Texas, when the remnants of Mike Tyson will face the much fresher, but also somewhat ordinary (in terms of boxing skills, not business sense and acumen) Jake Paul, many boxing websites have been busy taking a walk down memory lane and reminiscing about “Iron Mike’s” best moments.

It’s a lot of fun ranking Tyson’s most terrifying knockouts and his deadliest displays of skillful workmanship. Tyson was exceptional in the 1980s and early 1990s, and his terrifying mix of speed and power was too much for so many high-profile fighters. Tyson was also entertained when he was in (all too brief) great form, as the following knockouts remind us.

Tyson’s 5 greatest hits!

1: KO 2 by Trevor Berbick.

Tyson was able to defeat better, better fighters than Berbick, but his coronation, which occurred at the tender age of 20, was unique and unforgettable. Tyson, with his burning hands and razor-sharp reflexes befitting “bad intentions,” ruined a good, tough heavyweight. And Tyson did it in a terrifying and humiliating way. Who can forget how Berbick fell time and time again after one punch from Tyson! His senses gone, Berbick was toasted within two rounds.

2: KO 1 Michael Spinks.

Absolute pinnacle Mike Tyson, that’s what the experts say and say. Before the “Once and For All” unification showdown, some good judges picked the undefeated Spinks as the winner. Instead, Tyson, who famously “punched holes in the dressing room wall” before the fight, annihilated Spinks in 91 seconds. Yes, Spinks, the former lithe heavyweight king who rose to dethrone Larry Holmes and become the heavyweight boss, was terrified when he entered the ring, but the way Tyson’s devastating punches were delivered, would it have made much of a difference if Spinks had entered the ring? ring? ring ready for battle?

3: KO 4 by Larry Holmes.

Holmes was 38 years venerable, had been inactive for several years, and Larry only came back for the money. Still, after his fourth-round KO, Tyson is the only man to ever knock out Holmes. And when we remember what Holmes did after his date ended in disaster (winning against Ray Mercer, Holmes pushing Evander Holyfield and Oliver McCall quite tough in their world title fights), it becomes clear that Tyson destroyed a fighter who was far from shot. This 1988 fight really makes the fan wonder what Tyson’s encounter with the peak Holmes might have been like……

4: KO 6 Pinklon Thomas.

Tyson’s combinations have never been more impressive and ruthless. In brief, Tyson blew the game away, having once defeated “Pinky” with everything he had in his wicked arsenal: hooks, body shots, uppercuts, lefts and rights. And the final 16-punch combination in which Tyson crushed Thomas amazingly highlighted how astonishingly true Tyson’s deadly hands were.

5: KO 1 Marvis Frazier.

The most devastating 30 seconds of Tyson’s career? Maybe. Marvis was no Joe, and his pop was later heavily criticized for putting his son on Tyson’s team. On this night, however, “Kid Dynamite” was behaving like a beast, and his power shots left Frazier, a good boxer, in a half-sitting position, his head getting punched over and over again. Tyson was speedy, wild and ruthless. Tyson really smoked that night.

Not long after the stink died down and the outrage at least partially calmed down, everyone in the boxing world knew there would have to be a rematch. It was on this day, a quarter of a century ago, that heavyweight kings Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield met again in a fight dubbed “Unfinished Business.”

The draw, which had taken place earlier in March of the same year, had thrown the boxing world into a real state of confusion, anger and suspicions of corruption. Don King, Holyfield’s promoter, bore most of the burden. But the March fight, in which Lewis won fairly comfortably all but two of the three judges, was not under King’s control. Two judges simply behaved poorly. As a result, both men returned home claiming to be the heavyweight ruler.

But what will happen in the sequel? Surely Lennox, the bigger and younger man, would get the victory this time, a deserved victory? Perhaps it will be by KO or stoppage.

The rematch took place in Las Vegas, Fresh York, not in the mood to host a sequel. Lewis was now 34 years elderly and in great shape. The current WBC champion had a record of 34-1-1(27). Holyfield, who had achieved so much in the sport at both cruiserweight and heavyweight, was now 37 years elderly and had a record of 36-3-1(25).

This time the fans got a good fight and, ironically, a much fiercer fight than the so-called draw fight. Holyfield, always exceptional in rematches, lost the first rounds, but in the middle rounds “The Real Deal” occurred and he scored points. Lewis was cautious when many people thought he would pick the brute and win by KO without a doubt. It was a good fight and the seventh round was exceptional in terms of double action.

Lewis won most of the championship rounds, with the 12th and final round split by three judges. Once again, everything was decided on the cards and this time Lewis won by scores of 117-111, 116-112 and 115-113.

Some eminent reporters had a victory at Holyfield, such as Briton Colin Hart. But Lewis was now the undisputed ruler of the heavyweight division, and his career was at its peak. There will be no third fight. Both men, of course, continued to fight. Lewis defended his title three times before being sensationally upset by Hasim Rahman. Lennox gained revenge via KO and then defended the title three times. Whatever; Lewis was stripped of his WBA belt shortly after defeating Holyfield.

Evander continued to fight for some time after losing to Lewis, becoming the first-ever four-time heavyweight champion by defeating John Ruiz and winning Lewis’ stripped WBA belt.

Two great warriors, each with a different style and personality. It’s up for grabs as to who is the better player of the two – Lewis or Holyfield.

Lewis retired with a record of 41-2-1(32). Holyfield left with a mark of 44-10-2(29).