Mike Tyson was at his unstoppable best for one night in his career, the widely-regarded awesomeness of his Michael Spinks demolition.
Plenty has been said about how a peak Tyson would have fared in any era of boxing, with some even believing he was the best ever for a brief period.
Fans of the former ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’ would argue that Mike was utterly unbeatable at one point in time. That he would have walked through any heavyweight in history.
In an interview during the early 1990s, Butch Lewis knew when that time was – a 1988 collision with Michael Spinks.
Mike Tyson vs Michael Spinks
The fight, which took place in June at the Convention Hall in Atlantic City, was one of the most eagerly-anticipated battles of that era.
Two undefeated punchers, Tyson was on 34-0 and Spinks at 31-0 at the first bell. Dependent on who you asked, punters were split on who would come out on top.
But a moment before the clash began, Lewis, the manager of Spinks, knew his man had no chance of winning.
Lewis explained it in an ESPN documentary entitled, ‘The Fallen Champ’ at 47 minutes and 20 seconds of the film.
“Spink vs Tyson, it’s on. The whole world is waiting for the fight,” said Lewis.
“So, you go to each other’s dressing room to check the wraps, gloves, etc. I always try to get an edge when my guy’s getting ready to box.
“I go in [to Tyson’s dressing room]. So I think I will rattle the kid because he’s under a lot of pressure.
“At the time Jacobs had passed, Jim Jacobs – the closest guy to him – had died on the verge of this happening.
Holes in the wall
“He was in the mix with Robin Givens, and Don King was trying to pull him away from (his promoter) Bill Cayton.
“So I’m in the dressing room with Tyson. I’m looking to rattle this guy. I walk in. He’s standing there with [Kevin] Rooney on the mitts. And he’s punching holes in the wall!
“I’m thinking, to myself, this guy is getting ready to fight my guy, my little guy, and he’s punching holes in the wall before he goes out to fight?
“Oh no!”
Unstoppable
He continued: “That night, Mike Tyson knew his whole life had built to this moment. He’d been groomed like a gladiator.
“He was so tuned into that fight because he felt that nobody would accept him outside of the ring if he never performed inside that ring.
“That Tyson that we met that night. No other boxer – professionally or as an amateur – has seen that Mike Tyson, other than Mike himself.
“Mike Tyson was at best he could be that night.”
It would be twenty months before Tyson was finally knocked off his perch by James ‘Buster Douglas in Tokyo as his world fell apart.
On the other hand, Spinks would never fight against despite being only 32 when taking the loss.
