On This Day: Mike Tyson crowned undisputed heavyweight champion after Tony Tucker win

Mike Tyson had become one of the most feared champions in the history of the sport, having knocked out 27 of his 30 opponents and was fresh from a second-round destruction of WBC champion Trevor Berbick. 

Tony Tucker, the underdog for the first time in his career, carried with him an almost perfect record, having only been beaten once in 1978 as an amateur and was riding the momentum of his career best win – taking the vacant IBF title against James ‘Buster’ Douglas in his previous fight. 

In honour of one of boxing’s most dominant champions being crowned undisputed on this day 38 years ago, here is a look back at that decisive night. 

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Early success for Tucker

Tucker was the much taller man, standing at 6’5’”, seven inches taller the Tyson. 

In the early goings, he used this advantage well, bouncing around the ring, landing sharp jabs, and even landing a left uppercut on Tyson in the first round that the commentary team said might have been "the best shot Tyson has ever taken".

Tyson struggled to put together his combinations early, as Tucker never stayed in one place for too long and tied up the WBC champion every time he got into range. 

Timing was the biggest difference between the two in the opening rounds. Tucker was proactive with his jab and was able to time Tyson coming in with his right hand, which seemed to temporarily stifle him. 

But such is Tyson, he can’t be kept away for long, and he forced Tucker into exchanging left hooks to the body, which will have been part of Tyson’s game plan – an early investment into the mid-section to slow down his opponent’s dancing feet. 

There is an argument to be made for Tucker winning two of the first four rounds because of his effectiveness with the jab and counter right hands, but the judges only gave him the third. 

Tucker did not endear himself to the crowd either, as they booed his attempts to keep Tyson tied up. 

Tyson takes over 

From the beginning of round five, the spring had gone from the IBF champion’s step. Tyson’s heavy body work had flattened his feet and slowed his defensive circumnavigation of the ring. 

This allowed him to creep into range and land the thumping jab he had been struggling to find in the early stanzas. 

Being allowed to operate just on the edge of his range allowed ‘Iron’ Mike to land explosive overhand rights and left hooks with more efficacy, which began to trouble Tucker, who was forced into exchanging up close with Tyson. 

One of the most memorable moments of the fight came right as the first bell sounded for the sixth round. Tyson bounded across the ring, and Tucker did not have his mouthpiece in and had not even got off his stool. 

He rushed to his feet and desperately clinched the swarming Tyson until the referee intervened and allowed Tucker to put his mouthpiece in. 

This seemed to be an indicator of the shift in momentum of this fight; Tyson was still going through the gears, whereas Tucker had given the best of himself in the early rounds. 

By the time the end of the middle third of the fight came, Tucker was visibly tired, his right hand had dropped, and he had stopped throwing the combinations that had found him success previously. 

Tucker only took a singular round of the middle four on one of the judges’ scorecards. 

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Survival 

After proving to be the biggest threat to the seemingly invincible Tyson, Tucker looked like a different fighter as the closing stages of the fight began, resigning himself to survival as Tyson continued his relentless forward march. 

Unaware of his significant deficit on the scorecards, Tucker beckoned Tyson in and wound up his right hand in s show of misplaced showmanship, to which Tyson happily obliged, landing clean left hooks. 

As the fight slipped away and Tyson finally began to slow, Tucker did find minor success with his jab and lead right hands. 

In the final seconds of the 12th round, both men planted their feet and winged in wild hooks to bring to an end a technically engaging contest.

Tucker, despite the loss, gave Tyson his toughest test to date as only the fourth man to take him the distance and made him appear human for the first time in the brief but memorable moment in the first round. 

The judges’ scorecards read 119-111, 118-113 and 116-112 to crown the 21-year-old the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Leon Spinks in 1978.