Magazine Archives: A Story of True Victory: Looking Back on “Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!”

By Rob Sutter from issue 2 of FightfulMag.com, issues still available

There has been perhaps no effective celebrity involvement in professional wrestling as efficient as Mike Tyson. Long-time wrestling fans will fondly remember when he stood off with “Stone Cold” Steve Austin in early 1998. Not to mention the role he played in the main event of WrestleMania XIV later that year. In the eyes of a wrestling fan that doesn’t follow other sports, Tyson was simply a famous boxer in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). However, this statement severely downplays his impact on pop culture.

Dubbed “The Baddest Man on the Planet,” Mike Tyson was a force to be reckoned with in heavyweight boxing. From 1987 to 1990, Tyson was the undisputed boxing world champion, defeating the likes of Tyrell Biggs and Frank Bruno to maintain his status. Due to his eccentric behavior and unbridled charisma, Tyson’s popularity transcended boxing. In other words, he was a pop culture icon. It could be argued that his icon status peaked with the release of Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!, developed by Nintendo R&D3 and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987.

A common misconception is that this NES title was the first series. On the contrary, the first-ever title, known as Punch-Out!!,was released in arcades in the mid-1980s. Utilizing two video monitors in an upright position, Punch-Out!!locked the player’s view behind the main character, later known as Little Mac. Smartly, the main character featured a wireframe design, so it would not inhibit the player’s view during gameplay. This title would also introduce a few recurring fighters in the series, including Glass Joe and Bald Bull. This title remained an arcade exclusive until 2018 when it was eventually released on the Nintendo Switch eShop as part of the Arcade Archives series.

Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!for the NES became the most recognized title in the series; it’s easy to see why, given the popularity of Tyson. The idea to incorporate this world-famous boxer in the NES title came from Minoru Arakawa, the founder of Nintendo of America. Having attended one of Tyson’s matches, Arakawa was impressed with the boxer’s skill. Keep in mind that, at this point, Tyson was still undefeated. In addition to boosting sales, Tyson’s ability as a boxer prompted Arakawa to ink a deal with “Iron Mike.”From there, gaming history took form.

Interestingly enough, before Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! landed on store shelves, a Gold Version of the title was developed. This version was designed specifically for the Nintendo Famicom Golf: U.S. Course tournament, hence the name. It came in a gold cartridge, not unlike two Legend of Zelda games on the NES. Furthermore, this version wasn’t available in retail; instead, it was presented to tournament winners and given out as raffle prizes. Tyson was nowhere to be found in this version. In his place was the fictitious Super Macho Man, who would later appear in the Super Punch-Out!! arcade game in 1984.

The goal of Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! is simple on the surface. As the main protagonist, the player must fight through the ranks of the World Video Boxing Association (WVBA). To do so, Little Mac battles a series of opponents, capitalizing on weaknesses in their strategies. Despite his short stature compared to his opponents, Mac is all heart, able to use jabs, punches, and a penultimate uppercut. Though his offense may seem limited, Mac’s opponents ensure that the gameplay is seldom stale.

The aforementioned opponents greatly contribute to the memorability of Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! The first opponent, Glass Joe, is relatively passive, making him the ideal introductory fight. From there, opponents become more unpredictable with their strategies. Case and point, the final opponent in the Minor Circuit, Piston Honda, telegraphs his major strikes with eyebrow twitching. King Hippo, another memorable opponent in the series, requires the player to rely more on body jabs than any other form of offense. Each boxer offers a unique challenge, meaning that the player will have to constantly redefine their approach.

However, it’s the final opponent of the original NES game, Mike Tyson himself, that is the greatest challenge of all. Armed with blistering speed and devastating strikes, the minds at Nintendo R&D3 were able to replicate Iron Mike’s boxing ability in video game form. One may argue that it would have been easier to defeat Tyson in real life, during his prime, than his video game counterpart. Since then, Mike Tyson in Punch-Out!!has made many lists detailing the toughest NES bosses, the belief being that if the player emerged victoriously, they did so with a shred of luck on their side.

As history has shown, Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!was a landmark title on the NES. From its frantic gameplay to its colorful presentation, critics lauded the title, and players couldn't get enough. It didn’t hurt that, at the time of its release, it featured the most recognizable name in boxing. As stated earlier, Tyson’s popularity transcended sports. However, in the years that followed, his likeness was dropped from the game. It would go on to be simply titled, Punch-Out!!Readers may wonder, what yielded this change?

The reason to remove Tyson was two-fold. In 1990, Tyson’s reign as undisputed champion came to an end with a loss to Buster Douglas. Second, Nintendo initially inked a deal with Tyson on a short-term basis. However, since Tyson was no longer the champion at this time, the relationship wasn’t renewed. In subsequent releases, the NES title would go on to be known as Punch-Out!!,with Tyson being replaced with a new final opponent, Mr. Dream. Despite being a unique character, Mr. Dream and Tyson’s fighting styles are interchangeable. The Punch-Out!!series didn’t begin with Iron Mike, nor did it conclude with him.

The Punch-Out!!series would find its way onto multiple platforms in the decades that followed. In addition to arcades, entries on the Super Nintendo and Wii became available. Even beyond the series in question, established characters appeared in other Nintendo productions. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the third installment in Nintendo’s crossover fighting game series, Little Mac appeared as an assist trophy. It wasn’t until the series made its way to the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U that the diminutive fighter in green shorts appeared as a playable fighter, complete with his trademark boxing ability.

The value of licensing agreements with public figures can’t be understated. These agreements can take modest projects such as Punch-Out!!for the NES and launch them into the gaming stratosphere. In the case of this title, the historic association with Mike Tyson has been invaluable. It’s a long way to the top of the World Video Boxing Association, so train up. Heed the advice of Doc Louis and show that the speed of your fingers can match the strength of Tyson’s fists.

Rob Sutteris the current Editor and Department Manager at Last Word on Pro Wrestling and a contributor for Last Word on Gaming. He has extensive knowledge about the wrestling world as a fan for over 20 years.

Twitter: @KHsNotebook