Peter McNeeley knows firsthand what it’s like to feel the force of Mike Tyson‘s punches. In 1995, McNeeley, also known as ‘Hurricane,’ found himself facing Tyson, experiencing the ferocious power of the former undisputed heavyweight champion.
McNeeley was thrust into the spotlight to take on Tyson in what was ‘Iron Mike’s’ first fight back after his release from prison. Tyson had been incarcerated since 1992 after being convicted of the rape of Desiree Washington, receiving a six-year sentence, of which he served three years before being granted parole.
With speculation rife about who Tyson would face in his comeback fight, including rumors of a potential showdown with George Foreman, Tyson’s promoter Don King ultimately settled on McNeeley, a relatively lesser-known opponent.
The highly anticipated bout, billed as ‘He’s Back,’ took place on August 19, 1995, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
A scary Tyson
Despite McNeeley‘s pre-fight bravado, he was unable to back up his words in the ring and was dispatched by Tyson in a mere 89 seconds. Reflecting on his experience facing Tyson during an interview with Sports Illustrated in 2010, McNeeley emphasized the sheer power of Tyson‘s punches.
“At the weigh-in, I was 224Ibs and he was 220,” he recalled.
“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.”
The actual fight was short-lived. It was officially stopped when McNeeley’s manager, Vinnie Vecchione, entered the boxing ring to prevent further damage to his fighter, who had been knocked down twice in the opening round.