Mike Tyson shared the ring with many elite heavyweights during his career and made no mistake when naming the strongest of them all.

‘Iron Mike’ burst onto the heavyweight scene as an 18-year-old back in 1985, producing stoppage wins in his first 19 professional contests.

His crowning moment came in November 1986 when he produced a history-making win over Trevor Berbick to capture the WBC world title and become boxings youngest ever world heavyweight champion.

The success didn’t stop there as Tyson racked up wins over WBA champion James Smith and IBF champion Tony Tucker in the months that followed, achieving undisputed status just days after his 21st birthday.

Speaking to The Ring Magazine, Tyson gave a shock answer when tasked with revealing the strongest fighter he ever faced, naming the durable Cuban heavyweight Jose Ribalta.

“Jose Ribalta stood toe to toe with me. He was very strong in the clinches.”

Known for being a ‘gatekeeper’ of the heavyweight division throughout the 1980s, Ribalta shared the ring with a number of world level operators during his career, including Vitali Klitschko, Frank Bruno and Larry Holmes.

‘Iron Mike’ got the better of Ribalta when they locked horns back in 1986, stopping the tough Cuban in the 10th and final round of their non-title clash in Atlantic City to rack up the 26th consecutive victory of his professional career, just months before he would go on to become the youngest world heavyweight champion in history at the age of just 21 when he defeated Trevor Berbick by second round stoppage.