“Unbelievable Journey: Speedrunner Defies Odds with Epic Mike Tyson Knockout in Under 2 Minutes!”
By Punch-Out speedrunner SummoningSalt has dedicated the last five years to the pursuit of defeating Mike Tyson in less than two minutes. After over 75,000 trials, he has successfully conquered one of the most notoriously challenging bosses in gaming history in exactly 1 minute and 59 seconds.
Even if you may not have any specific interest in speedrunning, you’ve likely come across some of SummoningSalt’s well-known YouTube videos in the genre, showcasing world record attempts across various games in extensive detail. He is also a skilled speedrunner in his own right, holding several records in Punch-Out and dominating the NES classics leaderboard since 2016.
However, the ultimate goal is the single-segment record for defeating Mike Tyson, Punch-Out’s final boss. SummoningSalt has maintained this world record since 2017 and has been actively striving to break the two-minute mark since 2020. A perfect run against Tyson demands not only frame-perfect precision but also an extraordinary amount of luck, which is why achieving this has taken such an extended period.
“This is the greatest gaming accomplishment I have ever achieved,” SummoningSalt expresses in the description of the YouTube video detailing this record. “It took 75,000 attempts over almost five years. The Mike Tyson fight requires a tremendous amount of luck and execution. I landed all 21 frame-perfect punches (1/60th of a second), performed 10 perfect dodges and ducks, and benefitted from luck that has about a 1/7,000 – 1/10,000 chance of occurring.”
SummoningSalt remarked on Twitter that he was “in disbelief” when he set the record, which is why his reaction appeared somewhat understated. “It’s over,” he calmly stated as the final time became apparent. “I thought I’d feel far more exhilarated about this.” There was a bit more celebration afterward, but it wasn’t quite the explosive reaction one might expect after a five-year journey.
“I have no intention of ever improving this time,” SummoningSalt concludes in the video description. “It will eventually be surpassed by someone, likely by replicating this fight and then getting…”