Mike Tyson’s Legendary Trainer Cus D’Amato Told Him There Was One Heavyweight He Couldn’t Beat

At the height of his storied career, Mike Tyson was the most formidable fighter to walk the planet.

‘Iron Mike’ exploded onto a bustling heavyweight scene back in 1985, beginning his professional career when he was just 18-years-old, establishing himself as a serious contender in no time at all.

He made history in 1986 when he stopped Trevor Berbick in the second round of their bout in Las Vegas to become the youngest world heavyweight champion of all time, an outstanding record which remains unbroken to this very day.

In the short time that followed his historic win over Berbick, Tyson defeated WBA champion James Smith and IBF heavyweight champion Tony Tucker to capture the undisputed heavyweight championship just one month after he turned 21-years-old.

Despite proving himself to be such a dominant force during the late eighties, Tyson revealed in his autobiography that former trainer and mentor Cus D’Amato once told him that there was just one heavyweight he would have had no chance of beating.

“Cus told me once that no matter what I did, I probably wouldn’t beat [Muhammad] Ali. That wasn’t to put me down, but to make me realise I had to build my own path and style, not try to be someone else.”

Muhammad Ali is often regarded as being the greatest fighter of all time, proving his credentials during an iconic professional career which saw him win the world heavyweight championship on three occasions.

He defeated an abundance of legendary heavyweights throughout the duration of his tenure, including the likes of Ken Norton, Joe Frazier and George Foreman amongst a number of others.