Iron’ Mike Tyson has confronted a few of the hardest fighters in heavyweight boxing historical past, reminiscent of Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, and Donovan Rudduck. However none of them have been as robust as Cuban native Jose Ribalta.
On August 17, 1986, Ribalta stepped into the ring with Tyson contained in the Trump Plaza Lodge and On line casino in Atlantic Metropolis, New Jersey. Standing at 6’6″ tall, Ribalta was a bodily imposing determine in comparison with the 5’10” stocky construct of Tyson.
For 10 rounds, ‘Iron’ gave Ribalta every little thing he had, touchdown a formidable 220 strikes and sending the heavyweight gatekeeper to the canvas 3 times earlier than the referee noticed match to step in and name a cease to the bout with lower than 90 seconds on the clock.
“Jose Ribalta stood toe to toe with me,” mentioned Tyson in his ‘Finest I Confronted’ Ring Magazine article again in January 2014. “He was very robust within the clinches. I hit Jose Ribalta with every little thing, and he took every little thing and saved coming again for extra” (h/t talkSPORT).
Following the loss to Tyson, Ribalta continued to check himself in opposition to a who’s who of heavyweight expertise. ‘El Nino’ squared off with the likes of Leon Spinks, Larry Holmes, Vitali Klitschko, and Donovan Rudduck earlier than retiring in late 1999.
“Ribalta was a sport fighter who, in contrast to Inexperienced and Tillis, really engaged me,” praised Tyson in his autobiography, Undisputed Fact. I felt nauseous from all Ribalta’s physique blows, even hours after the battle… I by no means felt that a lot basic ache once more.”
Mike Tyson appears to be like to reclaim a few of his boxing glory in opposition to Jake Paul
Practically 20 years from his final skilled boxing match, Mike Tyson will return to the ring on Friday, November 15 for a conflict with YouTube star Jake Paul contained in the 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Paul (10-1) is the odds-on favourite to come back out on prime in The Lone Star State with ‘The Downside Youngster’ presently sitting at a -150 in comparison with Tyson who goes into his first authentic boxing bout since 2005 as a +170 underdog. In fact, these odds can and possibly will swing considerably as we get nearer to battle evening.
Tyson ended his profession within the mid-noughties with a 50-6 document, together with 44 wins by means of KO.
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