Featured Image Credit: Getty Images
Topics: Mike Tyson, Boxing
Ryan Baldi
Long before Mike Tyson became the youngest world heavyweight champion in boxing history, he was already one of the most fearsome young fighters on the planet.
The Brooklyn, New York, native has most recently been in the news for his return to the ring at age 58 last year to face YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
That bout, broadcast live on Netflix, ended with Tyson losing a unanimous decision in a fight that failed to live up to expectations.
But during his peak in the 1980s and '90s, Tyson was the most feared boxer in the world, possessing devastating knockout power that saw him record 44 stoppages during a 20-year career.
And one of the earliest glimpses of the outrageous power of "Iron Mike" was on display when the budding boxer was just 15 years old.
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In the gold medal match of the National Junior Olympics in 1981, Tyson needed to just eight seconds to score a brutal knockout of his opponent, Joe Cortez.
Tyson went on to attain global fame and Cortez was never heard from again.
In fact, according to worldboxingnews.net, Cortez never stepped foot in the ring again, despite having earned a silver medal in the prestigious tournament.
Instead, the young fighter from Michigan went on to become a painter and decorator.
Although he was knocked out cold by Tyson in the Junior Olympic final, 15-year-old Cortez eventually rose back to his feet after being treated by the ringside physician and congratulated the future heavyweight king on his victory.
After the fight, Tyson had designs on competing in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. But, surprisingly, he didn't make the team.
He instead turned pro in 1985 and became the youngest man ever to claim the world heavyweight title in 1986 at the age of 20.
Tyson retired in 2005 with a record of 50 wins and six defeats with two no contests, before putting the gloves back on for one more bout against Paul last year, 19 and a half years after his initial retirement.