I just recently beat this game.
I owned/played it when I was younger, and I could never get past Mr. Sandman, he lead me into many punches that I should've been able to avoid. I guess I just didn't have the proper video game training at that point. Since then, I've played all kinds of beat 'em up games. I've played Mortal Kombat, Killer Instinct, Fatal Fury, Tekken, and Street Fighter II, as well as the majority of their sequels and spinoffs. I'd put my hand to any of these games that I could get a hold of.
Then, quite a way down the line (a month or so ago, to be exact), I realized that I still hadn't taken down "Kid Dynamite." This disturbed me. In addition to not having finished it, I had forgotten the code, formerly memorized by heart, to fight Tyson. I played my way to the end of the game, only having one hang up, on Soda Popinski, the Sloshed Soviet. Fortune smiled upon me, and I beat him the second time around. My reflexes had improved greatly and I made it all the way to the top without getting game over.
That was, until I got to Tyson, of course. He schooled me like the bitch I was. The last code you get in the game also takes you to Super Macho Man, not Iron Mike himself, so I had to beat Supes every time I wanted to get to Mike Tyson. My sense of timing was failing me all over the place. It was pathetic.
I got online, nabbed the code to fight Tyson directly, and I proceeded to play game after game, desperately trying to grasp on to something, anything. Am I really a gamer if I can't beat Mike Tyson's Punch Out? I told myself that I wasn't, that I'd failed, and that I must redeem myself before I could face my Playstation - and, god forbid, my computer - again. I played this game for hours, resetting everytime Tyson would take me down early, because Lil' Mac can't get knocked down more than 5 times by Tyson and still get up, even though the game will taunt you by letting you try. Eventually, and by the decision of Mario, I won.
That wasn't enough though. I continued playing until I could beat Tyson without him knocking me down at all. I doubt I could do it now, but I had the timing of his 1st 1:30 memorized, so I could make it to the 'real fight' with as little damage as possible, and proceed from there.
I still haven't been able to knock Tyson out, although the technical knockouts have and will continue to abound. If anyone has, and can tell me how to score a 'KO' on Mike Tyson, /msg me, please.
DJuxtaposition's tips for beating Mike Tyson's Punchout
- Don't get hit for the first minute thirty. Mike'll take you down in one hit every time. When he flashes, dodge. Some people will tell you not to even try to hit him, but if you want a knockdown in the first round (and you do, because each knockdown makes your opponent get back up with less life), you'll want to hit him. I say, drag out the hits if you can (wait till the last moment), and then you'll have wasted a little of his punch time. If you don't swing at all, he'll recover faster, and get to throw more of those lightning fast punches.
- Mike Tyson's moves are fast and he swings hard. Don't get discouraged if you lose a few times, or if you get knocked down when you thought you were doing good. If anyone's beaten this character on their first try, I'd be surprised, and saddened.
- In the second round, Tyson will try (I'm not sure when) a real bitch of a special move. He actually has a punch that doesn't have any warning, and it hits multiple times. Take the first hit like a man, and then start blocking.
- He also has a special punch like Piston Honda, only his doesn't let you actually dodge. Block the punches to reduce the damage as much as you can (he's never knocked me out when I had a quarter bar of life left with this, as long as I blocked every shot), then wait for him to do a flash uppercut. After the first 1:30, these are your 8 hit bread and butter moves.
- You get a little bit of life back when you hit him, so don't go crying if he hits you, unless he's already knocked you down four times, and you were about to get a TKO.
Let's have a good clean fight! Now come out punching!
Update: Tyson can be KO'ed... I read all about it on Gamefaqs.com, and if you have the ambition and skills for it, I'd say give it a try (I haven't the ambition, and possibly not the skills for it, so I haven't bothered, myself). Apparently though, it takes a little luck too, as you have to knock him down twice each round, and at the proper time (for the 2nd knockdown) in the third round.