Tiny but mighty: Shortest heavyweight champions ever

Boxing Junkie presents in the special feature the shortest heavyweight champions of all time.

NO. 2 MIKE TYSON

Height: 5-10
Active: 1985-2005
Record: 50-6, 44 KOs
Reign(s): 1986-90; 1996
Background: One amazing aspect of Iron Mike’s success was that he was dwarfed by most of his opponents. That certainly didn’t stop him from riding roughshod through the heavyweight division in the 1980s, as the quick-handed, oh-so-powerful wrecking machine stopped one opponent after another to capture the imagination of the world. The 20-year-old phenomenon was 27-0 (25 KOs) when he stopped Trevor Berbick in less than two rounds to become the youngest ever to win the heavyweight championship. Tyson’s reign wasn’t long. He was only 23 when Buster Douglas shocked him and the world by stopping the seemingly unbeatable force of nature in 10 rounds in 1990. Tyson was never the same. He went to prison after he was convicted of rape, returned to become a title holder for a short time, gnawed off a portion of Evander Holyfield’s ear and then declined rapidly. No one will forget what he accomplished or the excitement he generated.