One man who knows what a punch from Mike Tyson feels like is Peter McNeeley, who felt the ferocious power in 1995.
‘Hurricane’ McNeeley was plucked from relative obscurity to face Tyson in ‘Iron Mike’s’ first fight back after being released from prison, having been locked up since 1992.
The former undisputed heavyweight champion was convicted of the rape of Desiree Washington and sentenced to six years in prison, although he was granted parole halfway through his sentence.
Following rampant debate over who Tyson would face in his comeback fight – including reports of a potential clash with George Foreman – Tyson’s promoter Don King settled on the lesser-known McNeeley.
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The fight took place on August 19, 1995 in a bout billed as ‘He’s Back’ at the MGM Grand, Las Vegas.
McNeeley did a lot talking in the build-up but was unable to back up his words in the ring as he was dispatched in only 89 seconds.
Recalling what it was like going toe-to-toe with Tyson during a wide-ranging interview with Sports Illustrated in 2010, 15 years after his biggest night in the ring, McNeeley said his power sticks out.
“At the weigh-in, I was 224Ibs and he was 220. They reweighed us one hour before the fight, after we’d both burned off a lot of nervous energy warming up. He was 216! I was 220.
“Mike Tyson at 216 is all [expletive] speed. The punches that hurt you the worst are the ones that you don’t see.
“It was just crazy. When I met with him much later, he was 240. He was huge. And when I fought him, he was all ripped up.”
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Images of Tyson locking eyes with his prey are the stuff of legend, but it was short lived as the bout was officially waved off when McNeeley’s manager, Vinnie Vecchione, entered the ring to stop his fighter from taking any further damage after tasting the canvas twice in the opening stanza.
McNeeley is thankful his manager stepped in when he did.
“When Vinny stopped the fight [89 seconds into the first round], people were upset. I watched the films,” McNeeley added.
“I can’t argue. People who have never had a boxing glove on, they say he stopped it too soon.
“Look at the video. You can see my eyes are completely dilated like I possibly had a concussion.
“I go into the ropes, my legs are gone. If the ropes weren’t there, I’d be sitting on Pamela Anderson’s [breasts].”
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On paper the fight was a huge success for everyone involved; McNeeley and his manager earned themselves commercials with America Online and Pizza Hut and the pay-per-view grossed $96million worldwide.
“I was gone,” McNeeley continued. “Besides, if Vinny didn’t stop it, who would have ever done the commercials?
And while McNeeley’s life spiralled afterwards as a result of a drug addiction, Tyson’s went from strength to strength.
Less than a year after blasting out McNeeley, Tyson became world heavyweight champion for a second time when he stopped Frank Bruno inside the distance to claim the WBC strap.
Tyson added the WBA belt to his collection six months later by knocking out Bruce Seldon before landing two lucrative fights with Evander Holyfield in 1996 and 1997.
He lost both bouts, the first of which was regarded by some as an upset and the second via disqualification for biting Holyfield’s ear. Nevertheless, he banked in excess of $60m for his efforts though he lost his boxing license before it was later reinstated.
During a glittering career that spanned more than 20 years, Tyson is said to have earned around $430million (£337.5m) with another substantial payday coming from his blockbuster showdown with Lennox Lewis in 2003 that saw him rake in $35m.
He eventually called it a day in 2005 when he discovered he no longer had the heart to fight on as a professional boxer.
