A New Punch-Out!! Is Coming But Mike Tyson Isn’t Happy
Mike Sanders / 6 years ago
Punch-Out!!
One of the most iconic games of the NES was almost certainly Punch-Out!! This was a port of an original cabinet arcade game with more than a few ‘touches’ added by Nintendo when it made it to the console.
Upon it’s original release, the game carried endorsement by heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson. He was, after all, the final boss and beating him was no mean feat! It is, incidentally, one of the biggest gaming misconceptions that his endorsement was removed in later releases due to his rape conviction. While Nintendo probably would have done this anyway, the fact was that the licensing agreement simply ended. Enter Mr Dream!
So, why are we talking about this? Well, in a report via Kotaku, Nintendo is planning a new release in the Punch-Out!! series. It seems, however, that Mike Tyson isn’t particularly happy about it.
heard @Nintendo was doing the new “Punch Out” without even contacting me. it wont be the same. my knockouts made the game. thats whack.
— Mike Tyson (@MikeTyson) 4 April 2019
Tongue In Cheek?
While the comments are rather amusing, I suspect that Mike Tyson isn’t really upset about now being in the game. He didn’t, after all, kick up too much of a stink when he didn’t feature in the SNES or Wii versions.
It was, however, more than amusing when a video emerged of him playing the game for the first time. Specifically, where he got wiped out hugely by his own character.
What Do We Think?
It is, if nothing else, nice to see Mike Tyson still acknowledges the game. It was certainly not the peak of his professional career, but as the years have passed, it is, is nothing else, a part of his legacy.
While we doubt that Nintendo will take him up on the offer of involvement in the next Punch-Out!! it’s nice to see that Iron Mike still cares!
What do you think? – Let us know in the comments!