It was January 22nd, 1988, at the Convention Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Holmes was 48-2, and the young Tyson, 32-0, stood in his corner.
Holmes had just come off losing a pair of fights to light heavyweight champion Michael Spinks. After the first fight, he remarked, “Marciano couldn’t wear my jock strap,” having lost for the first time a win away from matching Marciano’s 49-0 record instead of complimenting the new champion Spinks.
Muhammad Ali and future president Donald J. Trump were at ringside. As Ali was introduced into the ring, he touched Holmes’s gloves first.
Then Ali walked over to the young champion Mike Tyson and whispered something in his ear. Later told, he said, “Kick his ass!”
Tyson came out right after Holmes, as his power had the former champion looking in fear from the power the young Tyson had. Holmes tried tying up Tyson he knew what fight he had on his hands.
As each round passed, Tyson continued to beat the former champion. In the third round Holmes started to dance and stick out his jab like he was known for in the past. It didn’t make a difference with the young Tyson, who got past the jab, landing punches to the delight of the crowd.
In the fourth round, Tyson landed a right hand and down went Holmes to the canvas as referee Joe Cortez counted to eight. Holmes got up with a look of a beaten fighter. Tyson was all over him again, dropping Holmes a second time with a right hand. Tyson was all over Holmes, dropping him a third and final time with a right on the chin as Holmes lay on his back, being counted out at 2:58 of the round!
Tyson answered the request of his idol, Ali.
In Tyson’s previous fight, he stopped Olympic champion Tyrell Biggs, who had feared Tyson in the amateurs. It was stopped at 2:59 of the seventh round at the Convention Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
When Tyson was 14 years old, Ali visited his school and remembered when Holmes had beaten his idol. He told his then trainer, Cus D’Amato, “Someday I will revenge that beating when I am older.”
After the Holmes fight, Tyson said, “It’s great having the name of Holmes on my record,” when interviewed by Larry Merchant.
In Tyson’s fight in November of 1986 at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas, he stopped another fighter who had defeated Ali in the former champ’s last fight, Trevor Berbick, 31-4-1, in the second round, scoring a pair of knockdowns.
Tyson’s trainer at the time was Kevin Rooney, whom many felt when Tyson dismissed him, the champion was never the same.
Many fighters dismiss their trainers when they lose a fight. In February 1990, Tyson, 37-0, lost to James ‘Buster’ Douglas, 28-4-1, in Tokyo, Japan, in one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.
Tyson never got a chance for a rematch as former Olympic champion Evander ‘The Real Deal” Holyfield got the opportunity and defeated Douglas in October of 1990 by a third-round knockout.
In Tyson’s next fight at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. He avenged his loss in the amateurs to Henry Tillman, 20-4, whom he lost to in the Olympic trials.
Last Updated on 02/05/2025