On This Date in Sports February 25, 1989: Tyson Dominates Again
Mike Tyson continues to dominate the ring, improving to 36-0 with a TKO of Frank Bruno in the fifth round of a heavyweight title fight in Las Vegas. Tyson, the undisputed champion fighting for the first time since his dominant win over Michael Spinks, was a heavy favorite going into the fight. Bruno survived a first-round knockdown and tried to stay in the fight by holding Tyson. In the fifth round, Mike Tyson trapped Frank Bruno on the ropes, leading referee Richard Steele to stop the fight and declare Tyson the winner.
Mike Tyson was boxing in 1989. Born June 30, 1966, in New York, he became the youngest heavyweight champion in 1986. Within a year, he would become the undisputed heavyweight champion, winning the WBC, WBA, and IBF titles to unify the championship. The last hurdle was the lineal championship that Michael Spinks held. After Tyson took down Spinks in 90 seconds, the question was not who was the next challenger but who would be the next victim.
Frank Bruno, who was 32-2, was considered the top contender, as he was still the European Champion in 1988. In August, the fight against Mike Tyson was set for London's Wembley Stadium. Bruno hoped to become the first British heavyweight champion of the world since Bob Fitzsimmons in 1899. Tyson's troubles would derail the fight out of the ring. First, there was the street fight with Mitch Greene, which pushed the match to October. However, following domestic abuse allegations and a car crash, the logistics of fighting in England became impossible.
The fight would be moved to the Las Vegas Hilton in February, where few gave Frank Bruno a chance. There would be a quick start to the fight with Bruno going down to the canvas. The British Champion was able to bounce back quickly and tried his best to stand toe-to-toe with the "Baddest Man on the Planet." Frank Bruno began trying to hold Mike Tyson, thinking he would have a better chance to win in the later rounds. This led to him being warned for excessive holding in the second round. Tyson landed a big punch at the end of the round, and Bruno was saved by the bell. Over the next three rounds, Mike Tyson continued to dominate. Finally, in the fifth round, Tyson had Bruno backed up against the ropes. After Tyson landed a few big punches, referee Richard Steele, fearing Bruno was in trouble, stopped the fight, declaring a TKO for Mike Tyson.