Mike Tyson would not be the boxing legend that he is without his hero, Muhammad Ali.
When he was 14-years old, ‘Iron Mike’ endured an hour-long travel to witness Ali’s penultimate fight of his boxing career against the then-undefeated Larry Holmes, the heavyweight clash also known as ‘The Last Hurrah.’
That time, Holmes was on a bid to retain his WBC heavyweight championship while Ali was dealing with major health struggles due to the medication he had taken for weight cutting and had to undergo physical exam to get the green light to fight.
As expected, things didn’t end well for ‘The Greatest.’
Holmes manhandled him through ten rounds before trainer Angelo Dundee raised the white flag, which marked the first time Ali lost by way of stoppage.
This brutal beating fueled the young Tyson to exact revenge on Holmes for Ali.
“When I grow up, I’ll fight Holmes and I’ll get him back for you,” he told his boxing idol.
Unstoppable Force
Five years since that fateful night in Las Vegas, ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ made his professional debut, beating Hector Mercedes by way of first round knockout.
The boxing world has seen an unstoppable force that was Tyson as he went on to win 28 straight fights, with 26 of his victims finished in the opening minutes.
At 20 years old, the 5-foot-10 prospect turned himself into the youngest heavyweight champion in the history after defeating Trevor Berbick for the WBC title.
He also became the first heavyweight boxer to hold three world titles simultaneously, which would set him up to his much-awaited clash against Holmes in January 1988.
Tyson waited eight years for this opportunity – to fulfill his promise to Ali – and ‘Iron Mike’ showed no mercy to the ‘Easton Assassin.’
“Get Him For Me”
Ali, who was at ringside to watch the fight, has some reminder for Tyson before his title-defence: “Remember what you said – get him for me.”
And Tyson delivered in a brutal fashion.
He finished Holmes in the fourth round to deal him his first knockout defeat and avenged Ali’s loss in 1980.
Here’s how ‘Iron Mike’ recalled this incredible story to ESPN:
“Cus had wanted me to beat him so bad. I was offended by how bad he beat up Ali.”
“When we drove home to Catskill [about an hour from Albany], nobody in the car said a word, we were all so upset. The next morning, Cus was on the phone with Muhammad Ali after taking this shellacking from Holmes.
“He said to Ali, ‘I have this young black kid who is going to be heavyweight champion someday and I want you to talk to him.’”
“When I grow up, I’ll fight Holmes and I’ll get him back for you,” the young Tyson promised.
(Featured Image Source: Instagram/ Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali)