TREVOR BERBICK
Date / site: Nov. 22, 1986 / Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas
Division: Heavyweight
Records: Tyson 27-0, Berbick 31-4-1
At stake: Berbick’s WBC title
Result: Tyson TKO 2
Background: The writing was on the wall. A precocious and ferocious Tyson had already knocked out 25 of his first 27 overmatched opponents to earn a shot at the world title, much to the fascination of fans and non-fans alike worldwide. And Berbick was nothing special, only a solid fighter in an era of not-so-special heavyweights. Thus, no one was surprised when Berbick fell from a flurry of hard, quick shots in the second round. Dazed, he got up and tried to hold on for dear life but he was about to meet his end. A left hook put him down again and hurt him badly. He managed to stagger to his feet once more but was in no condition to continue, prompting referee Mills Lane to end it there. Tyson had made history. He punctuated his incredible early-career run to the apex of the boxing world by becoming, at only 20 years old, the youngest man to win the heavyweight championship. “I’m the youngest heavyweight champion of the world and I’m going to be the oldest,” Tyson said. He was a better boxer than a prophet.