The boxing world was looking at a vacuum after the greatest Muhammad Ali‘s departure in 1981. However, it didn’t have to wait for too long a period. Four years later, on March 6, 1985, the world stood flummoxed as a barely out of teen boxer knocked out Hector Mercedes within the first two minutes of the first rounds. After that, boxing, in general, and Heavyweight, in particular, would change forever.

Roughly a year after his debut, Mike Tyson grabbed headlines worldwide on November 22, 1986, as he became the youngest Heavyweight champion in boxing’s history. He defended his WBC title, adding a few other belts well along the route and remaining the undisputed champion till James ‘Buster’ Douglas dethroned him on February 11, 1990. Tyson’s journey in boxing after that, coupled with personal troubles, became a saga of peaks and valleys.

Now, keeping aside his formidable and devastating punching power, what rendered Mike Tyson such a spine-chilling foe in the ring? One of the most critical aspects of ‘Iron’ Mike’s ferocity was his top-notch fitness regimen. More significantly, physical conditioning enabled him to endure gruesome punishments round after the other without impacting the match’s outcome. A key aspect of his conditioning exercises was building neck muscles.

Mike Tyson’s Neck thickness

Around the world, of all the performance athletes, wrestlers understand the penalty to be paid for having a ‘chicken neck’. If the muscles around the neck are not strengthened, then the risks of a sprain, strain, or, in some cases, even breakage exist. In boxing, the neck may not experience the execution of techniques such as bridging. Nevertheless, during a bout, when a punch connects to the face, the jerk or shock at times could be severe, and the damage may linger for long phases, jeopardizing a career.

Mike Tyson was one of the first boxers to understand this minute but key aspect and started religiously working on his neck muscles. By the time he was eighteen, the width of his neck measured around twenty inches! His most preferred technique remained the neck bridges. Reportedly, he kept thirty minutes of his strict and hectic training regimen aside to focus on building enduring neck muscles. It helped immensely in dealing with concussions and other head injuries.

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The neck bridges should not be done unsupervised. It doesn’t appear easy, but a boxer’s dividends make it worth every penny. A fighter who can absorb the most vicious and debilitating punch is labeled a ‘strong chin’. However, it mustn’t be forgotten that the neck does the bull’s work in preventing whiplash, allowing him to stay a bit longer inside the ring.

Training technique Mike Tyson used to grow such an astounding neck

Understanding that exercise to build neck muscles shouldn’t be looked at in isolation is essential. At his peak, Tyson used to devote thirty minutes to neck bridges, as reported by GiveMeSport. However, he and his team had set up a neck muscle routine to build an imposing neck.

One essential exercise that supports building neck muscles is shrugs, or simply, shoulder shrugs. If done correctly, the exercise helps stabilize the Trapezius, the large muscle group covering the back from the neck, shoulders, and middle of the back. In turn, it helps build overall upper body strength.

Another proven method is old-school resistance exercises. It could be a free weight or a weighted one. The ‘prone weighted neck extension’ is an excellent move in enhancing the posterior neck muscles.

Many boxers and trainers continue to ignore the neck at their peril. However, a few fighters, like Tyson in the past, pay equal attention to it to withstand the mauling inside the ring. As a career for most, boxing barely lasts more than a decade. The toll it extracts from the body is immense. Hence one of the wisest ways to ensure that a career is not cut short is by taking care through a grueling fitness regime and, equally important, body conditioning.

LOOK: 17-Year-Old Mike Tyson Looks Menacing Next to a Young, Absolutely Jacked Brock Lesnar

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