At the peak of his powers, Mike Tyson acquired the nickname of the “Baddest Man on the Planet” because of his ability to knock out fellow boxers with brute force and concussive punching power.

Although it later came crashing down around his ears, in large part due to his destructive lifestyle outside the ring, he is still remembered as one of the great heavyweight champions of all time,

Here are five reasons why Mike Tyson had explosive punching power.

Head Movement

Many experts believe that Tyson had the best head movement the sport has ever seen. He had the ability to keep low, moving his head from side to side, enabling him to slip opponents’ punches, and get within distance to land his devastating hooks and body shots. This was not by accident because a lot of his training and gym work under legendary trainer Cus D’Amato was focused on practising this style, with lots of shadow boxing.

Style

Tyson’s style was very power intensive, again a direct result of his training which featured heavy bag work and punch mitts.

He had exceptional hand speed, and employed multi-punch combinations, making particular use of hooks and uppercuts, focusing both on the head and the boxer. He constantly shifted his weight, enabling him to get more power behind his shots, especially his rising uppercuts, which became one of his trademarks.

The speed and ferocity of his attacks meant that opponents rarely had time to mount any sustained defence, or to take a breather in between shots. The sheer ferocity and sustained nature of his attacks meant that only those with the strongest of chins and legs could survive with him in the ring for long.

Stance

At only 5 feet 10 inches tall, Tyson was relatively short for a heavyweight, but he actually used this to his advantage. Not only did it mean that he possessed more strength in his core, but he also became adept at fighting from a low position. He was able to bend his knees, and change levels, with fighters taller than him sometimes having trouble locating him with their fists.

And it also meant that he was better balanced than taller opponents, which meant that he was able to generate more power behind the shots that he took.

Aggression

From the very first bell, he would step forward ready to carry the attack to his opponent. Although he later admitted that was mainly scared every time he was about to fight, he never once showed this in the ring. Instead, he immediately went on the front foot, and rarely took a step back.

Intent

Many of his opponents were beaten before they even stepped in the ring. Not only did he quickly acquire a bad reputation, but he made sure that he lived up to it with a ring walk designed to intimidate. Tyson’s stepped into the ring with a sinister look in his eyes, and would be seen clenching his fists and knuckles with his gloves beforehand.

Although boxing has been described as the “Sport of Kings” there was nothing regal about Tyson. He made no secret of his desire to hurt opponents, and to do so badly.