| “ | Hey! Is this kid a joke? Where's the real challenger? | „ |
| ~ Mike Tyson |
| “ | Mike Tyson is waiting for your challenge! | „ |
| ~ Punch Out!! (NES) tagline |
Mike Tyson is the titular and final opponent of the game Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! on the Nintendo Entertainment System. He is a fictional version of the real life boxer of the same name. Little Mac faces him in the Dream Fight at the end of the game and as the Champion of the Another World Circuit. His uppercuts knock Little Mac down in one hit for the first round, but they get weaker throughout the match. Mike Tyson mostly does uppercuts; however, he will begin doing a larger assortment of punches after 90 seconds of the fight.
Appearances[]
Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (1987)[]
For the first 90 seconds of the bout, Tyson will throw nothing but one-hit knockdown uppercuts; if he connects, Mac will get an instant ticket to the canvas. The player can block the move while they have full health, but they will still take a large amount of damage, so blocking is not practical. In the second round these uppercuts no longer drain all Little Mac’s health. Not to be overlooked is Tyson's unpredictable timing of his blows. Afterwards, he will throw different blows that do less damage. Little Mac can get a star by simply hitting Tyson with a jab when Tyson blinks both of his eyes to indicate that he's doing his version of Piston Honda's special move Piston Punch. The main concern for Little Mac will be Tyson's lightning jabs, which can come out quick and can hurt Mac without the player knowing it.
Tyson is a palette swap of Piston Hondo.
Attacks[]
- Dynamite Uppercut: Mike Tyson throws a powerful uppercut, that will result in a knockdown. These can be dodged or ducked
- Uppercut: Mike Tyson throws an uppercut. These can be dodged or ducked.
- Hook: Tyson winks and throws a straight hook. The side he winks on indicates the arm he will use.
- Jab: Tyson throws a quick jab. This can be blocked to land a left body blow.
- Blink Hooks: Tyson blinks rapidly and throws multiple hooks in a row. It is possible to jab him while he is blinking. Block his Hooks and jab quickly after the individual punch to get a long stun for each punch.
Instant Knockdown[]
Punch Mike Tyson with a jab or uppercut when he is blinking, about three in-game seconds after he starts blinking. The timing window is very strict.
After 1987 debut[]
Mike Tyson never made a second appearance in the Punch-Out!! series. This is because before a sequel could be made, Nintendo's license to use Mike as a special Punch-Out!! character expired. Mike no longer being the World Heavyweight Champion, Nintendo decided not to renew Mike's contract and to instead replace him entirely with a fictional character of their own creation. Hence, the re-issued game was titled Punch-Out!! featuring Mr. Dream.
Quotes[]
- "Hey! Is this kid a joke? Where's the real challenger"
- "They say I can't lose. I say you can't win!"
- "You think the speed of your fingers can match the strength of my fists?"
- "Your experience doesn't match mine. Go home and practice!"
- "If I knock you down, you don't get up!"
- "Great Fighting!! You were tough, Mac! I've never seen such Finger Speed before." (When you defeat Mike Tyson)
Rule Infractions[]
As per the unified rules of boxing established by the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combat Sports:
- His taunts between rounds are disrespectful to the fight and the opponent, though this is decided by the referee.
- One of his taunts is him telling Little Mac to stay down if he knocks him down. This can be seen as him trying to get Little Mac to throw the fight, which is not allowed, although, due to his quote, it's unknown if he actually meant to convince Little Mac to throw the fight.
- Before he does his hook combo, he blinks for a few seconds and leaves himself open for a star punch. This could be seen as throwing the fight.
- Even if Little Mac doesn't punch, it could still be seen as prolonging the fight.
Mike Tyson has 2 infractions and 2 possible infractions, not counting the infractions he committed in real life during his second fight with Evander Holyfield.
Gallery[]
- See also: Category:Mike Tyson files
Trivia[]
- Tyson/Dream is one of the few characters to have multiple signature moves (specifically his 1st round OHKO uppercuts and his blinking hooks). Super Macho Man has his regular spin punch and his super spin punch, and Mr. Sandman has his retaliation hook and his Razor Uppercuts.
- Tyson is the third youngest opponent in the series, with Narcis Prince and Disco Kid being 20 years old and Heike Kagero at age 19. Tyson is the fourth youngest character overall, since Little Mac is 17.
- He is the only real boxer in the series.
- His in-game record of 31-0 (27 KO) was his actual record on August 1st, 1987 after defeating Tony Tucker by unanimous decision to add the IBF Heavyweight Title to the WBA and WBC Titles he already held.
- He would lose his titles to James "Buster" Douglas by KO on February 11, 1990. This loss, combined with the expiration of Nintendo's contract to use Mike Tyson's name and image, is the reason Nintendo replaced him with Mr. Dream in Punch-Out!! Featuring Mr. Dream.
- His final record in real life was 50-7 (44 KO), with 2 no contests.
- He didn't play the game until 2013, 26 years after the game's release. He fought and lost to Glass Joe while in the Fox Sports green room. When interviewed about this event, he said "I couldn't beat Glass fucking... I couldn't beat Glass Joe."
- Tyson later played against himself on a 2014 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, but he couldn't beat his video game self.
- The password to instantly fight Mike Tyson is Nintendo's "contact us" telephone number.
- In Super Punch-Out!! on the SNES, after beating Dragon Chan, the player can see "Mike" in his records. This is probably a reference to Mike Tyson. It is unknown if Mike Tyson is one of the seven people who defeated Dragon Chan, given that Tyson otherwise makes no appearance in the game.
- In February and March of 1988, Nintendo held a contest called the "Tyson Top Tips Contest" where people could share tips on how to beat Mike Tyson. Five winning tips were drawn out of a hat and the winners received a life size cardboard Mike Tyson.
- The current world record for the fastest time to defeat Mike Tyson is held by speedrunner and YouTuber Summoning Salt, who completed a first-round TKO with an in-game time of 1:59.97 in February of 2025.