Boxing KO of the Day: Mike Tyson's Round 2 Destruction of Trevor Berbick

On Nov. 22, 1986, Michael Gerard Tyson set the boxing world alight when he captured the WBC Heavyweight Championship title, knocking out Trevor Berbick in breathtaking fashion.

In dismantling Berbick, Tyson, at 20 years of age, became the youngest heavyweight champion in the history of boxing.

Tyson, under the tutelage of Cus D’Amato and his protégé Kevin Rooney, achieved what only a few heavyweights will ever achieve—the heavyweight Holy Grail.

This had been the most anticipated fight in the history of boxing, save for the Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier world title fight in Madison Square Garden in 1971.

The fight itself was one of absolute euphoria and utter embarrassment.

That night, Tyson had a look in his eyes, a look that personified determination.

I loved it when Mills Lane brought both fighters together for their final instructions—Berbick sized up Tyson with several condescending looks—as if to say “Really! Is this it?”

Tyson started the first round at a furious pace, throwing punches with bad intentions, and rocking Berbick in the process.

In the second round Tyson put Berbick on the deck with a solid right to the head.

Berbick never recovered from that punch, and what ensued was Tyson putting on a boxing clinic—throwing a surreptitious left-hook, which at first seemed innocuous, but once it had detonated after impacting on Berbick’s temple the results were astounding.

Berbick hit the canvas in what can only be described as a slow motion—Berbick lost complete control of his legs—in his attempts to get back to his feet, Berbick kept returning to the scene of that heinous crime.

This left Mills Lane with only one option—to stop the fight, and put an end to his misery.

The fight was stopped at 2:35 of the second round, and Tyson was proclaimed the new heavyweight champion of the world.

And who could forget those famous words, uttered at the end of the fight by American sportscaster Barry Tompkins:

“And we have a new era in boxing.”

The soi-disant Baddest Man on the Planet’s decimation of Berbick automatically propelled him to stardom and the encomiums were soon to follow.

Donald Saunders of the Daily Telegraph wrote:

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"The noble and manly art of boxing can at least cease worrying about its immediate future, now [that] it has discovered a heavyweight champion fit to stand alongside Dempsey, Tunney, Louis, Marciano and Ali."

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Whatever has come to pass since that historical night, nothing can take away Tyson’s glorious moment—because that was a moment in time when Mike Tyson attained boxing greatness.