Mike Tyson has singled out his ‘smartest’ opponent from a career that featured wins over Larry Holmes, Frank Bruno and Evander Holyfield.

Iron Mike, who became the youngest heavyweight champion of the world in 1986 at the age of 20, will go down as one of the all-time greats.

In total, the New York-born fighter took part in 58 professional bouts between 1985 and 2005, where he recorded 50 wins and just six defeats.

He often displayed unrivalled power and speed, with his impressive record of 44 victories via knockout being a testament to Tyson’s relentless style.

But which one of his opponents was the smartest?

Buster Douglas shocked the world with a 10th-round knockout of Tyson in 1990, while Lennox Lewis recorded a famous KO win against “the Baddest Man on the Planet” in 2002.

However, former heavyweight champion Larry Holmes was Tyson’s stand-out opponent when it came to ring intelligence.

After the pair came to blows in 1988 when Tyson was just 21, Iron’ Mike emerged victorious with a fourth-round knockout, inflicting a third straight defeat for the long-time heavyweight champion.

When previously asked to name the smartest he came up against, the 58-year-old told The Ring: “Larry Holmes was the smartest of all. It comes with being a champion for seven years.”

Tyson went on to name Holmes as having the best defence, adding: “Even though I did win inside the distance, he was very tough to hit cleanly.”

Mike Tyson is widely considered to be one of the greatest boxing professionals in history, however, he believes there is one man who clears him completely in punch strength.

Tyson may be more known nowadays for losing a boxing match to former YouTuber Jake Paul, an event which was watched by millions on Netflix, but don’t for a moment think this loss should be used as a reflection of his career overall.

After all, there’s a reason he’s known as ‘Iron Mike’.

With an overall record of 50 wins, 7 losses, and 2 no contests, Tyson’s place in boxing history was earned after he became the youngest fighter to ever hold the heavyweight title at age 20.

Tyson also won his first 19 professional fights by knockout, with 12 of those coming in the first round.

Which should give you an idea of how painful it would be to have been punched by Iron Mike in his prime.

Many boxing experts have even gone on to consider Tyson one of the hardest punchers in the history of the sport, but this isn’t a title which the 58-year-old necessarily agrees with.

When asked who he believed to be the hardest hitter ever to grace the heavyweight division, Tyson didn’t name himself but instead suggested George Foreman — yes, that George Foreman.

“[It’s George Foreman],” he reportedly told Fight Camp (via TalkSport). “I can’t match somebody’s power who’s that big and that much man.

“Only thing that allowed me to be exciting was that I did it faster than the other guys.”

Nicknamed ‘Big George’, Foreman enjoyed a boxing career which spanned three decades and only lost five of his 81 fights, with 68 of his wins coming from a knock out.

His most famous loss would come against Muhammad Ali in 1974’s ‘Rumble in the Jungle’, which ultimately saw Foreman handing over the heavyweight title and taking a year out.

Foreman has also proved that he has talents which exist outside of the boxing ring by launching his universally famous George Foreman grill in 1994, a cooking appliance which definitely featured in most of our homes growing up.

Tyson also admitted in the interview that he didn’t believe his power came naturally either, adding: “Nothing about me was natural… Only my desire to win was natural, I had a great teacher.

“Only you can do that. You’re born with it but somebody has to elicit that.”

There is one fighter who has revealed his regret over facing the once-formidable ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson.

In his prime, Tyson was a force to be reckoned with amongst the heavyweight division. He remained undefeated through his first 37 contests as a professional, picking up the world heavyweight championship for the first time when he knocked out Trevor Berbick in the 2nd-round of their bout in 1986, becoming the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history.

Tyson’s first career defeat came in a huge upset against James ‘Buster’ Douglas in February 1990. surrendering his undisputed heavyweight championship in what is described as one of the biggest upsets in the sport’s history.

Another legend of heavyweight boxing who faced ‘Iron’ Mike over 30-years ago once revealed how he regretted facing his former rival, claiming he only did it for the ‘money’.

Known as ‘The Easton Assassin’, Larry Holmes spoke in an interview with The Telegraph about his 1988 showdown with Tyson.

“I shouldn’t have come out of retirement against him. I fought Mike Tyson and I lost. He stopped me. Tyson could punch, you can’t take that away from him. He would stand in front of you, try and push you against the ropes, but he wouldn’t have been able to do that to me in my prime. I would have beaten him.”

Holmes then revealed the sole reason for opting to face his former heavyweight rival.

“Money. It’s the money.”

‘The Easton Assassin’ hadn’t fought in just under two-years when he challenged Tyson for the undisputed heavyweight championship in January 1988. The 75-year-old from Cuthbert, Georgia was blasted out by ‘Iron’ Mike in the fourth round of their bout, falling short in his chance to become a two-time heavyweight champion of the world.

Mike Tyson is widely considered to be one of the greatest boxing professionals in history, however, he believes there is one man who clears him completely in punch strength.

Tyson may be more known nowadays for losing a boxing match to former YouTuber Jake Paul, an event which was watched by millions on Netflix, but don’t for a moment think this loss should be used as a reflection of his career overall.

After all, there’s a reason he’s known as ‘Iron Mike’.

With an overall record of 50 wins, 7 losses, and 2 no contests, Tyson’s place in boxing history was earned after he became the youngest fighter to ever hold the heavyweight title at age 20.

Tyson also won his first 19 professional fights by knockout, with 12 of those coming in the first round.

Which should give you an idea of how painful it would be to have been punched by Iron Mike in his prime.

Many boxing experts have even gone on to consider Tyson one of the hardest punchers in the history of the sport, but this isn’t a title which the 58-year-old necessarily agrees with.

When asked who he believed to be the hardest hitter ever to grace the heavyweight division, Tyson didn’t name himself but instead suggested George Foreman — yes, that George Foreman.

“[It’s George Foreman],” he reportedly told Fight Camp (via TalkSport). “I can’t match somebody’s power who’s that big and that much man.

“Only thing that allowed me to be exciting was that I did it faster than the other guys.”

Nicknamed ‘Big George’, Foreman enjoyed a boxing career which spanned three decades and only lost five of his 81 fights, with 68 of his wins coming from a knock out.

His most famous loss would come against Muhammad Ali in 1974’s ‘Rumble in the Jungle’, which ultimately saw Foreman handing over the heavyweight title and taking a year out.

Foreman has also proved that he has talents which exist outside of the boxing ring by launching his universally famous George Foreman grill in 1994, a cooking appliance which definitely featured in most of our homes growing up.

Tyson also admitted in the interview that he didn’t believe his power came naturally either, adding: “Nothing about me was natural… Only my desire to win was natural, I had a great teacher.

“Only you can do that. You’re born with it but somebody has to elicit that.”