Trevor Berbick (August 1, 1954 – October 28, 2006) was a Jamaican-Canadian heavyweight boxer who fought as a professional from 1976 until 2000. Berbick briefly held the WBC heavyweight championship in 1986 (after beating Pinklon Thomas via 12-round unanimous decision), before losing it to 20-year old Mike Tyson, via 2nd-round TKO. He was the last man to fight Muhammad Ali, winning a 10-round unanimous decision in Nassau, Bahamas on December 11, 1981.

He was born on August 1, 1954 in Norwich, Port Antonio, Jamaica. During interviews with the press, he claimed to have a vision from God at the age of 16.^{[citation needed]}

At 21, Berbick represented his native Jamaica in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada as a heavyweight boxer, despite having had only 11 prior amateur bouts. His lack of experience was plainly evident as he lost to the eventual silver medalist, Mircea Şimon of Romania. However, he still displayed a lot of promise as a young heavyweight boxer. He lost a decision to future heavyweight champion Michael Dokes in the Pan-Am semifinals.

Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is a retired American professional boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles at 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old. Tyson won his first 19 professional bouts by knockout, with 12 of them occurring in the first round. He won the WBC title in 1986 after defeating Trevor Berbick by a TKO in the second round. In 1987, Tyson added the WBA and IBF titles after defeating James Smith and Tony Tucker. He was the first heavyweight boxer to simultaneously hold the WBA, WBC and IBF titles, and the only heavyweight to individually unify them.

In 1988, Tyson became the lineal champion when he knocked out Michael Spinks in the first 91 seconds of the fight. Tyson successfully defended the world heavyweight championship nine times, including victories over Larry Holmes and Frank Bruno. Tyson lost his titles to 42-to-1 underdog James "Buster" Douglas on February 11, 1990, in Tokyo, Japan, by a knockout in round 10. Tyson continued in his quest to regain the titles, defeating Donovan Ruddock twice in 1991. Tyson was then scheduled to take on the undisputed heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield but pulled out due to injury.

Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.; January 17, 1942) is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist. Considered a cultural icon, Ali was both idolized and vilified.

Originally known as Cassius Clay, Ali changed his name after joining the Nation of Islam in 1964, subsequently converting to Sunni Islam in 1975, and more recently practicing Sufism.^{[clarification needed]} In 1967, three years after Ali had won the World Heavyweight Championship, he was publicly vilified for his refusal to be conscripted into the U.S. military, based on his religious beliefs and opposition to the Vietnam War. Ali stated, "I ain't got no quarrel with them Viet Cong... No Viet Cong ever called me nigger" – one of the more telling remarks of the era.

Widespread protests against the Vietnam War had not yet begun, but with that one phrase, Ali articulated the reason to oppose the war for a generation of young Americans, and his words served as a touchstone for the racial and antiwar upheavals that would rock the 1960s. Ali's example inspired Martin Luther King Jr. – who had been reluctant to alienate the Johnson Administration and its support of the civil rights agenda – to voice his own opposition to the war for the first time.

Larry Holmes (born November 3, 1949) is a former professional boxer. He grew up in Easton, Pennsylvania, which gave birth to his boxing nickname, The Easton Assassin.

Holmes, whose left jab is considered one of the greatest weapons in the history of sports, was the WBC Heavyweight Champion from 1978 to 1983, The Ring Heavyweight Champion from 1980 to 1985, and the IBF Heavyweight Champion from 1983 to 1985. He made twenty successful title defenses, second only to Joe Louis' twenty-five.

Holmes won his first forty-eight professional bouts, almost matching Rocky Marciano's streak of 49 straight wins, including victories over Ken Norton, Muhammad Ali, Gerry Cooney, and Marvis Frazier. He is frequently ranked by many boxing experts as one of the greatest heavyweight fighters of all time.

Holmes was the fourth of twelve children born to John and Flossie Holmes. When the family moved to Easton in 1954, Holmes' father went to Connecticut, where he worked as a gardener until his death in 1970. He visited his family every three weeks. "He didn't forsake us," said Flossie Holmes. "He just didn't have anything to give." The family survived on welfare.

Pinklon Thomas (born February 10, 1958, in Pontiac, Michigan) is a retired heavyweight boxer and former WBC heavyweight champion whose trademark pink boxing trunks and a powerful left jab were key distinguishing characteristics.

A native of Pontiac, Michigan who also lived on military bases in South Carolina and Washington state, Thomas eventually settled in Orlando, Florida.

Pinklon Thomas turned professional after just three amateur fights with an excellent jab and rock solid chin. Thomas, with a record of 24-0-1, would finally get his World title shot against reigning WBC champion Tim Witherspoon in August 1984, in Las Vegas, NV.

Thomas won the WBC Heavyweight Championship with a hard fought 12-round battle over "Terrible" Tim Weatherspoon on August 31, 1984. Ten months later, he defended his title against ex-champion Mike Weaver, stopping Weaver with a single punch in the eighth round. Thomas lost the WBC title to Trevor Berbick in March 1986 by a decision.

Thomas came back and reeled off three kayo wins before setting up a May 1987 challenge to WBC and WBA Heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. Although Thomas allegedly took the fight with a serious shoulder injury, he enjoyed success outjabbing Tyson. After a long break for a torn glove, action resumed in the 6th round where Tyson knocked Thomas out with a brutal fifteen punch salvo, knocking the extremely durable Thomas down for the first and last time in his lengthy career. Although he got up inside the count, the fight was waved off.