The July 2026 Video Games Monthly box arrived and there was a bonus pack-in vinyl sticker: The VGM mascot, adorned with boxing gloves and an iconic, tribal face tattoo. Yep, he’s channeling “Iron” Mike Tyson. But what’s up with the number floating over his head and what does this have to do with retro video gaming?

Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! video game was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1987. The boxing game featured several foes, but the ultimate boss, Tyson, was the final boss everyone wanted to get to. But, it was a difficult climb up the ladder to get to Iron Mike.

The March/April 1990 issue of Nintendo Power made that much easier by introducing the cheat code “007 373 5963” in the Classified Information section (page 72). This could be entered into the pass key screen and instantly jump you to the Tyson fight.