Mike Tyson Snubs Lennox Lewis And Evander Holyfield As He Names Only Boxer Who Could Take His Power

Mike Tyson surprisingly named Jose Ribalta ahead of Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield as the only fighter who could take his devastating power.

The 54-year-old ex-boxing superstar was widely revered for his ferocious in-ring ability and punching power during his illustrious career.

And 'Iron' Mike faced a tricky test when he came up against Ribalta in 1986 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Tyson, who was 26-0 at the time, managed to finally seal a TKO victory in the 10th round of his fight with Ribalta.

The 'Baddest Man on the Planet' has clashed with heavy-hitters like Lewis, Holyfield and Frank Bruno in his glittering fighting career.

However, the former undisputed champ argued that Ribalta "took everything and kept coming back for more."

'Iron' Mike told Ring Magazine: "I hit Jose Ribalta with everything, and he took everything and kept coming back for more.

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"Jose Ribalta stood toe to toe with me. He was very strong in the clinches."

Only three months after the Ribalta fight, Tyson would destroy Trevor Berbick in a second-round TKO win to become the youngest heavyweight champion in history.

The boxing legend fought Holyfield in back-to-back mega-fights in the 1990s and lost on both occasions, one of which ended as a result of Tyson's infamous ear bite.

Tyson also fought Bruno on two separate occasions -- winning both times in 1989 and 1996 -- while suffering a KO defeat to Lewis in their blockbuster 2002 super-fight.

But the boxing Hall of Famer believes that the toughest opponent he faced inside the squared circle was Holyfield.

"He threw terrific shots with both hands and with bad intentions," Tyson said.

"Great champion: chin, heart, determination, work ethic, demeanour."

Topics: Mike Tyson, Boxing News, Boxing, Iron Mike

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

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