"Punch Out" developers have already ended their contract with the heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. The boxing superstar will no longer be an 8-bit character in the game where he was previously featured as the ultimate end boss. In addition, Gallery1988 has also paid tribute to Tyson's presence in "Punch Out."
"Punch Out" Started Before Iron Mike Became HeavyWeight Champ
It should be noted that Nintendo America's founder and former president Minoru Arakawa once attended a boxing match in the early 80's featuring the heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. It was from this fight that Arakawa-san had the idea of porting the arcade hit "Punch Out" to the NES, Goombastop reported. Several changes have already been made to the original game as the NES was not strong enough to emulate the arcade graphics faithfully.
One notable change that came to "Punch Out" was the addition of Mike Tyson himself as the title character. Rumor has it that Tyson was paid $50,000 for a three-year period for his likeness to appear on "Punch Out." Note that the developers signed Iron Mike before he made history when he beat Trevor Berbick in the WBC heavyweight championship and became the youngest world champion in boxing. Apparently, the former champ was replaced by Mr. Dream as the new final boss in the game.
Gallery 1988 Pays Tribute To Iron Mike In Latest Show
In other news, Gallery 1988 has paid tribute to the heavyweight champion who previously starred in "Punch Out." Gallery 1988 has been praised for their ability to curate and celebrate pop culture artwork, among others. Their latest show paid tribute to "Punch Out" that has spanned almost thirty years in the gaming industry.
The "Punch Out" focused show entitled "Don't Cry, Mac: A Tribute to Mike Tyson's Punch Out!" tasked artists with reimagining the characters in "Punch Out" in their own style, Nerdist reported. The outcome of the tasks featured an eclectic mix of prints and mixed media items. The show featured the works of Stephen Andrade as well as the artist Adam Hoppus. See Mike Tyson in "Punch Out" in the video below:
