At The Age Of 51, Mike Tyson Still Looks Absolutely Terrifying On The Heavy Bag

Back in the day Mike Tyson's power punching was every opponent's worst nightmare.

The man KO'd 44 people in his career, including Trevor Berbick, Larry Holmes and Michael Spinks, among others.

Tyson's explosive power rightfully earned him the nickname 'The Baddest Man on the Planet' and 11 years after retiring from professional boxing, the 51-year-old is still punching hard.

Mike Tyson's career defining moments...

In the below footage, the former undisputed world heavyweight champion is seen smashing the heavy bag with tremendous force - reminiscent of his glory days.

He's still got it, folks..

Tyson created an incredible reputation for himself inside the boxing ring, and a rather shaky one for himself outside of it, too, to say the least.

The controversial figure holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles, but he may be best remembered for biting a chunk of Evander Holyfield's ear off.

One thing that is probably most recognisable about Tyson is his face tattoo. In 2003, the 50-year-old got a tribal tattoo on the left side of his head.

Originally, however, the boxer wanted something different to be permanently inked onto his temple and cheek. Talking in an interview on In Depth with Graham Bensinger, he revealed that he wanted his face to be covered in heart tattoos, simply because he thought it was cool and that he'd then be recognised as 'The Man of Hearts'. The tattoo artist then advised Tyson against this.

According to the man himself in his 2008 documentary Tyson, the tattoo represents his 'warrior status'. It's similar to the ones that members of the Māori tribe, a warrior-like tribe in New Zealand, wore to scare people in battle. Not that he needed anything more to make him scary.

He also got it because he thought the design was 'cool'.

He said: "I thought it was so hot. I just thought it was a cool tattoo."

Mike Tyson hasn't lost his punching power, that's for sure.

Topics: Punch, Mike Tyson, Boxing News, Boxing, Heavyweight

Jack Kenmare

Jack Kenmare is a writer at SPORTbible. He's interviewed some of the biggest names in sport, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Pele, Carles Puyol and Tim Henman. He dabbles in all things sport but football is his biggest passion. He was once hit in the head by a wayward strike from Nicky Butt and lived to tell the tale.

@jackkenmare_