Mike Tyson is one of the fighters who has had the greatest impact on the heavyweight category and his way of knocking out his rivals was spectacular, but his decline was as fast as his rise and here we tell you about his final days as the great champion from Brooklyn.
On June 30, 1966, the one and only Mike Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) was born. He was raised in Brooklyn and his childhood was extremely complicated, full of hardships and he had to deal with bullies and that’s how he learned to defend himself and hit anyone who wanted to take advantage of him.
The story of Iron Mike began like many others in the early years, but the details are very different. These beginnings help shape the best years and how he was able to become a heavyweight champion. All good things come to an end in the third interval, where we see the fall ofMike Tyson and how a world of champions can come crashing down. Finally, we see a review and reconstruction of the legacy of a man that will stand the test of time.
The best fights in Mike Tyson’s career
June 27, 1981
He won his first amateur belt at the age of 15, defeating heavyweight Joe Cortez, who is now one of the most important referees. That victory came in just eight seconds.
>April 21, 1984
He won the gold (91 kilograms) in the US Golden Gloves, defeating Jonathan Littles.
March 6, 1985
He made his professional debut at just 18 years of age and did so with a brutal KO against Hector Mercedes at 1:47 of the first round at the New York Convention Center.
November 22, 1986
Mike Tyson’s record went to 28-0 when he knocked out WBC heavyweight king Trevor Berbick and thus became the youngest champion in boxing’s premier category at 20 years and 145 days.
He retains the WBA and WBC belts and wins the IBF belt by winning a unanimous decision over Tony Tucker. This makes him the first heavyweight to unify all the belts.
October 18, 1987
Marketing takes over the show Mike Tyson and Nintendo launch the popular Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out. The video game sells more than two million in its first year in stores and to date is one of the most popular.
January 22, 1988
He knocks out legendary former heavyweight champion Larry Holmes in the fourth round. Lured out of retirement at the age of 38 by a $2.8 million purse, Holmes suffers the only KO defeat of what was then a 51-fight career.
June 27, 1988
He knocked out Michael Spinks in 91 seconds in the most lucrative fight in boxing history (up to that point). Although Tyson came in with all the belts, Ring magazine and others considered Spinks the lineal champion. After the KO, Spinks never fought again.
The fall of the great Mike Tyson
In January 1990, Mike Tyson landed in Tokyo, Japan. At the time, he wanted nothing to do with the fight with Buster Douglas (37-6-1). Tyson paid no attention to Douglas and decided not to watch any of his previous fights on video, as he had already knocked out those opponents.
Tyson arrived in Tokyo 14 kilos overweight and yet Douglas was the 42-1 underdog. After being pounded for several rounds and having one eye completely swollen shut, Douglas knocked Tyson out in the 10th round. For many, this is one of the biggest upsets in sporting history.
Just one year later, he was sent to prison, where he served three years and three more years on probation. Iron Mike was able to return after being released and regained the WBC and WBA titles in 1996.
Tyson’s bite on Holyfield that condemned Iron Mike
However, Tyson was stripped of the WBC title and then lost the WBA title to Evander Holyfield (44-10-2) in November 1997. The infamous ear bite took place in the rematch with Holyfield and Tyson was disqualified from the fight. Mike Tyson is one of the few men to have regained a heavyweight championship after losing it. However, he lost three of his last four fights between 2002 and 2005. The baddest man on the planet retired from the sport of boxing in 2006 with a unique story.
Today Mike Tyson will step into the ring against Jake Paul in one of the most unlikely fights in history, but here we tell the story of the champion who was known for annihilating his opponents in the shortest possible time.
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