On February 16, 1986, Mike Tyson (17-0, 17 KOs) was marauding through the heavyweight division. He then came up against Jesse Ferguson (14-1, 10 KOs) at the Houston Field House, Troy, New York, in what was the longest time “Iron Mike” had spent in the ring. As you know, we at Big Fight Weekend love nostalgia and wanted to take you back to that night in 1986.
Mike Tyson vs. Jesse Ferguson Nostalgia
Mike Tyson Goes Passed Five Rounds
Tyson started fast, throwing thudding, spiteful hooks and two big uppercuts, which snapped Ferguson’s head back. The underdog fought much of the opening round with his back against the ropes. Round two was again one-sided, with Tyson throwing heavy shots at his opponent. Ferguson had his best moment in round three, landing a nice combination, but “Iron Mike” was still outworking his opponent for the majority.
“Thunder” was warned in round four for excessive holding, which suggested he was struggling with the pressure from Tyson. After the bell sounded for the end of the fourth round, Ferguson threw a couple of late punches, which unsurprisingly prompted “Iron Mike” to retaliate, with both fighters separated.
Round 5 showed how Tyson could adapt when needed, as he stepped back to negate Ferguson closing the distance. “Iron Mike” floored his opponent with an uppercut – right to the body combination, which broke Ferguson’s nose. The Philadelphia fighter beat the count and somehow survived the rest of the round amidst a brutal onslaught from Tyson.
Round Six KO
Round six began with Ferguson trying to control the distance with his jab before Tyson backed him up again before landing a flurry of heavy shots to the head. Ferguson received another warning for holding before immediately holding again, not allowing the referee to break them up. Following this, the referee had seen enough and waved the fight off. The fight was later ruled a TKO win for “Iron Mike.”
In his post-fight interview with the legendary Jim Lampley, “Iron Mike” said: “I never get frustrated, because I know we have a ten-round limit and the crop of heavyweights nowadays have a little difficulty going the full ten rounds. The way they have it planned in their mind to beat me is to jab, potshot, and grab me, but it’s ten rounds, and eventually, I’m going to catch them.”
Tyson went on to have a memorable and more than eventful career, which saw him break many records and perform impressively throughout his career, including his destruction of Michael Spinks.
More must-reads: