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30 years ago: Tyson v Berbick
- Updated: November 22, 2016
Mike Tyson became the youngest ever world heavyweight champion 30 years ago to the day, and his haunting shadow still looms large over a division that is finally re-finding its feet.
He was aged just 20 yet Tyson, the vicious New Yorker who had torn through 27 opponents in an 18-month career, looked far more street-wise than his tender years suggested. A harsh upbringing in a violent Brooklyn district had spawned a natural fighter, one that would become a boxing icon second only to Muhammad Ali, but the first hurdle to sporting immortality took place on November 22, 1986.
He wore a simplistic, ripped white vest as he strode to the ring to challenge the WBC champion Trevor Berbick, a thuggish appearance that would come to define his particularly aggressive brand of dominance in years to come. On this night, he was a kid with nothing willing to fight for everything.
Berbick had only won his title in his previous fight from Pinklon Thomas, and was the type of forgettable world heavyweight champion that summed up a generation struggling to live up to the glorious era of the 1970s. But Berbick, for his part, had bundles of experience at 32-years-old with a 31-4-1 record – he was the last fighter to defeat the great Ali, albeit a shop-worn version of ‘The Greatest’ who was a month shy of 40 and had little business elongating his unique career. Berbick had also gone 15 …
