Mike Tyson names his toughest opponent ever and it’s not Holyfield or Lenox Lewis

Adam Miller

Mike Tyson is a legendary name in the world of boxing, known for his punches and impressive career. He still continues to hold the record for being the youngest heavyweight champion in history. Tyson received it after knocking out Trevor Berbick in 1986 at the age of 20.

Tyson went off to face some of the biggest names in the sport, such as Larry Holmes, Evander Holyfield, and Lennox Lewis. But when asked about his toughest match, Tyson revealed a surprising opponent – Pinklon Thomas.

Tyson faced off against Pinklon Thomas in 1987. Despite knocking out Thomas in round six of the bout, Tyson recalls it as his toughest match to date.

Reflecting on the match, Tyson revealed that he had never thought much of it until he watched the tape two years ago when suggested by a friend. He recounted hitting Thomas with a staggering seventeen punches directly in the face.

When asked by History Bites about his toughest match to date, Tyson replied: “I thought it was Pinklon Thomas, he was my toughest opponent. I never thought him, but two years ago I watched the tape of him, a friend of mine told me to watch it.”

“I hit him with seventeen punches, flat, on the face, he went down but it was seventeen punches! Seventeen punches, flush, all of them were as hard as they could be and the last one he just passed out. ”

Pinklon Thomas is now 65 years old and has a commendable career in boxing. He won the WBC title against Tim Witherspoon in 1984. He then eventually announced his retirement after losing to Lawrence Carter in 1993.

On the other hand, Tyson retired from professional boxing in 2005 after facing defeats to Danny Williams and Kevin McBride. However, he made a surprising comeback in 2020 for an exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr.

Speculation has recently arisen about Tyson potentially facing YouTube star Jake Paul in a similar exhibition match. However, he has confirmed that he is staying retired and has no plans to box anyone else.