Mike Tyson has named his favourite knockout opponent

Mike Tyson is one of the greatest boxers of all time, and he has finally named his favourite knockout opponent from his glittering career.

In a professional career that spanned over two decades, 'Iron Mike' managed an astonishing 44 of 50 wins inside the distance, a percentage that can be pitted up against any heavyweight in the past century.

During a recent feature with ESPN, Tyson revealed that his 1987 knockout of Pinklin Thomas to retain his heavyweight title is the one that he rates over his other 43 knockouts.

When asked about which was his favourite, Tyson simply said:

“Pinklin Thomas. Because I hit him with 15/16 punches on the chin to bring him down. He took a tremendous amount of punishment.”

Tyson has knocked out numerous big names such as Frank Bruno, Larry Holmes and Trevor Berbick to name a few, boasting one of the most impressive highlight reels in the history of the sport.

He still holds the record for the youngest heavyweight world champion in the history of the sport but despite this, there is an opinion that somehow Tyson never fulfilled his potential, due to his career being derailed by a jail stint at the start of the 1990s.

Mike Tyson was arguably the heaviest hitter American had produced in the last century, until a man named Deontay Wilder came along.

Mike Tyson greeted the crowd at the Tank Davis vs Ryan Garcia weigh in at the T-Mobile Arena. (PA Images)

Wilder boasts an even more impressive knockout ratio than the legendary 'Iron Mike', stopping every opponent he has faced with a knockout except for current WBC world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.

Tyson was last in the ring during an exhibition fight against Roy Jones Jr, but even though there are no current plans to return, he has not ruled the prospect out.

Topics: Mike Tyson, Boxing

Joshua Nair

Freelance football writer.

@joshnair10