TYRELL BIGGS
Date / site: Oct. 16, 1987 / Convention Hall, Atlantic City, N.J.
Division: Heavyweight
Records: Tyson 31-0, Biggs 15-0
At stake: Tyson’s WBA, WBC and IBF titles
Result: Tyson TKO 7
Background: Biggs won the super heavyweight gold medal at the 1984 Olympics, the prize Tyson had wanted for himself. And the challenger boasted too much beforehand for Tyson’s taste, which made him even more resentful. Biggs didn’t have many pro fights under his belt but he had that pedigree and natural gifts, including his height (6-foot-5) and athleticism. He could box. TV analyst Larry Merchant saw Biggs as “the only man on this planet capable of beating Tyson.” In the end, the only thing Biggs had going for him was his courage. Tyson wore down his foe with punch after accurate punch to the head – including an inordinate number of left hooks – until finally one of those hooks put Biggs down in his corner and he was unable to continue in Round 7. It wasn’t the Olympic title but, for Tyson, it was the next best thing. “I could have knocked him out in the third round,” Tyson said afterward. “I wanted to do it slowly. I wanted him to remember this for a long time.”