Mike Tyson is among the legends of boxing, alongside Muhammad Ali and Floyd Mayweather. At the age of 20, he became the youngest heavyweight boxer in the world! He won the WBC, WBA, and IBF titles, some of them multiple times. Let’s zoom in on the extraordinary journey of Iron Mike!
Mike Tyson: Childhood and Early Boxing Years
Genealogy
Michael Gerard Tyson, son of Jimmy Kirkpatrick and Lorna Smith Tyson, was born on June 30, 1966, in New York. When he was two years old, his father abandoned him, his mother, his brother, and his sister. As a result, Lorna raised her three children alone in poverty and had to move to Brownsville, a dangerous neighborhood in Brooklyn.
A Difficult Childhood
Hard to believe, but as a child, Mike Tyson was small and naturally introverted. Consequently, he was often a victim of bullying and harassment. To address this, Tyson decided to learn street fighting and soon joined a gang that engaged in criminal activities, the “Jolly Stompers.” At the age of 11, he was emptying cash registers in stores while his accomplices held staff and other victims at gunpoint. His activities brought him many problems with the police; by the age of 13, he had already been arrested over 30 times!
Mike Tyson Discovers the Noble Art
This inappropriate conduct led to his transfer to a reform school, the “Tryon School for Boys” in upstate New York, where he met Bob Stewart. Bob was an amateur boxing champion and counselor. Mike Tyson wanted Stewart to teach him boxing to use his fists properly. Bob eventually agreed on the condition that Mike stayed out of trouble and focused on his studies. Despite his learning difficulties, he eventually mastered reading.
In 1980, Tyson completed his training with Stewart, who decided to introduce him to the legendary manager Constantine ” Cus” D’Amato. Known for his interest in promising boxers, he would house them and provide for their needs in his own home. He managed several renowned boxers, including Jose Torres and Floyd Patterson.
D’Amato took Tyson under his wing, and their relationship was more like that of a father and son. He quickly saw in him a promising boxer and proposed that he stay to learn and become a heavyweight champion. Mike accepted this offer because, following his release in September 1980, he decided to stay; he was then 14 years old.
A New Life for the Future Boxing Champion
D’Amato set up a rigorous program for the young boxer: by day, he studied at Catskill High School, and in the evenings, he trained. Tyson would also participate in amateur fights, as D’Amato wanted to teach him how to behave in the ring against older opponents.
Mike’s new life lasted almost two years. But in 1982, the death of several close ones affected him, particularly that of his mother, who succumbed to cancer. He later told journalists that it was a very painful experience because his mother never had the chance to be proud of him. She only knew the young gangster who stole and roamed the streets. Although his emotions did not affect his career, it deeply impacted him. During this same period, he was expelled from school for violent behavior. Consequently, Tyson continued his education with private tutors while training for the 1984 Olympics.
Mike lost in the qualifications to Henry Tillman. Following this failure, D’Amato decided it was time for his student to turn professional. He devised a plan to involve his protégé in a world heavyweight championship fight before he turned 21. Mike succeeded brilliantly, taking the record from Floyd Patterson.
Iron Mike: The Start of His Professional Career
It was in Albany, New York, that Mike Tyson made his debut as a professional boxer. On March 6, 1985, at the age of 18, he faced Hector Mercedes. He demolished him in a single round!
His speed, strength, and defensive skills worried his opponents, who feared his punches. He had this exceptional ability to knock out his opponents in a single round! This earned him the nickname Iron Mike.
Another Hard Blow
That year was filled with success until another tragedy struck him: the death of his coach, adoptive father, and confidant Cus D’Amato. D’Amato died of pneumonia on November 4, 1985. Although Tyson resumed fighting less than two weeks later, under the guidance of Kevin Rooney, those close to him said he never recovered from this loss and that his aggressive behavior stemmed from this grief. This first fight, held in Houston, was dedicated to D’Amato. Tyson recorded his thirteenth knockout.
Mike Tyson, Invincible?
At the age of 20, Mike could boast a record of (22 – 0, 21 KOs). Additionally, he achieved his goal of winning a WBS (World Boxing Association) fight on November 22, 1986. This fight was against Trevor Berbick, but Iron Mike won it by knockout in the 2nd round.
At the age of 20 years and 4 months, Mike Tyson broke Patterson’s record by becoming the youngest heavyweight world champion in boxing history.
Tyson continued his meteoric rise, first retaining his title on March 7, 1987, against James Smith. Then, on August 1 of the same year, he won the IBF (International Boxing Federation) crown by defeating Tony Tucker. Thus, he became the first heavyweight boxer to hold three major belts that year.
A Tumultuous Private Life
Mike Tyson’s First Marriage
On February 7, 1988, Tyson married TV actress Robin Givens. From then on, his career began to decline. On the ring, he changed his strategy, relying solely on the power of his punches to finish fights. He abandoned his complex offensive style and remarkable defense that had previously taken him to the top. The boxer blamed his trainer Rooney for his failures and ended up firing him in mid-1988.
That year, the boxer experienced a serious downfall both professionally and in his personal and romantic life following accusations of domestic violence from his wife.
Return to Violence
Tyson signed a partnership with boxing promoter Don King that same year in hopes of bouncing back. However, his increasingly violent behavior caused him legal troubles; he was accused of street fighting, drug-related accidents, insults, rape, etc.
In early 1989, his divorce from Robin Givens was finalized, and he returned to the ring to defend his world titles. He first won against British fighter Frank Bruno by knockout in the 5th round and in the 1st round against Carl “the truth” Williams.
However, on February 11, 1990, Mike Tyson’s invincibility ended in Japan, where he lost his belts to Buster Douglas. For the first time in his career, Mike was knocked out in the 10th round.
This defeat affected him, but he eventually knocked out his former rival Henry Tillman, an Olympic gold medalist, and Alex Stewart in the opening round.
During this rather difficult period, Mike won some fights impressively, eventually leading to his next face-off with the one who was supposed to take his titles away: Evander Holyfield. However, Mike failed in the Buster Douglas confrontation. As a result, Holyfield faced Douglas and won the 1990 heavyweight title, becoming the undefeated heavyweight champion.
Mike Tyson in Prison
Following that, he was imprisoned in 1992 for a period of 6 years. While serving his sentence, he converted to Islam and adopted the name Malik Abdul Aziz. His father passed away during his first year of incarceration, but the boxer did not request to attend the funeral.
Three years later, he was released on March 25, 1995. He immediately returned to the practice of boxing, fighting Peter McNeeley in Las Vegas, winning this first match in 89 seconds! Following this victory, he also defeated Buster Mathis Junior in the 3rd round.
The Legendary Fight: Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield
After this difficult period, Tyson attempted to put his life back in order. On November 9, 1996, Mike faced Holyfield again to reclaim the heavyweight title. However, Tyson lost by knockout in the 11th round, despite being the favorite. Holyfield became the second boxer in history to win the heavyweight championship three times.
In his defense, Tyson claimed he was the victim of several illegal headbutts from Holyfield. He promised to take revenge. After this defeat, Mike trained intensively for his rematch on June 28, 1997.
The fight was broadcast on Pay-Per-View, breaking its sales record (about 2 million viewers), and both boxers received a record amount for this bout, making them the two highest-paid boxers in professional boxing history until 2007!
The first two rounds of this fight were filled with action, much to the delight of the audience. But in the 3rd round, an unexpected action from Mike shocked his fans. He bit Holyfield’s ear, biting off a piece… A disgraceful scene for the boxing world.
End of Mike Tyson’s Career?
Tyson stated that this retaliation was a response to the headbutts previously delivered by Holyfield in their previous fight. However, the judges chose to disqualify Tyson from the match. Worse still, his boxing license was revoked, and he had to pay a $3 million fine.
Deprived of boxing, Mike Tyson found himself without goals or objectives to achieve. Hardships followed again, including new legal troubles and accidents. He was hospitalized following a motorcycle accident. The result: a punctured lung and a broken rib.
Mike finally regained his license in October 1998, although he had to serve a nine-month prison sentence. He made his true return to the ring in 2002 against the ZBC, IBO, and IBF champion, Lennox Lewis. After numerous altercations and threats between the two boxers, Tyson eventually lost this fight by knockout. This marked the decline of the former boxing champion’s career. Finally, Mike Tyson announced his retirement from the ring in 2005 after several defeats in the previous three years.
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