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"Iron" MIKE TYSON

FAST FACTS

MIKE TYSON
PROFILE AND BIO

Mike Tyson has experienced more in his 36 years than most people experience in a lifetime.

At an early age, Bobby Stewart, a local social worker and boxing fan, discovered Tyson's raw boxing ability. Stewart's guidance paved a direct path to the late, beloved trainer of champions, Constantine "Cus" D'Amato. Bringing Tyson to the Catskill Mountains in New York, D'Amato nurtured Tyson in and out of the ring. Eventually, D'Amato became Tyson's legal guardian and inspirational leader. During the early stages of Tyson's amateur and pro career, D'Amato was the driving force, teaching the young Tyson all the nuances about the sport which he loved and to which he devoted his life.

In March 1985, he made his pro debut with a first-round knockout over Hector Mercedes. From that point on, Tyson's goal was to capture the heavyweight championship. Finishing his first year with a record of 15-0, all by knockout, Tyson's place at the top seemed closer with each victory.

Less than two years later, and, after racking up 27 consecutive wins, Tyson signed to fight Trevor Berbick for the World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight title. In November 1986, after less than six minutes in the ring, Tyson, at age 20, cemented his place in history as the youngest man ever crowned heavyweight champion. Not content with stopping at one title, Tyson's mission was to unify the heavyweight division and provide the world with its first undisputed heavyweight champion since Muhammad Ali a decade before.

Tyson accomplished the second leg of his mission in March 1987, with a 12-round decision over James "Bonecrusher" Smith to add the World Boxing Association (WBA) belt to his growing collection. Finally, less than five months later, his dream was complete.

In August 1987, Tyson became the undisputed world heavyweight champion by outpointing Tony Tucker to add the International Boxing Federation (IBF) belt to his resume.

During the six successful defenses of his unified heavyweight titles, Tyson defeated everyone in his path, including former champion Larry Holmes and then-undefeated former champion Michael Spinks. For his 91-second destruction of Spinks, Tyson earned more than $20 million, which, at the time, was the largest sum ever paid to an athlete.

Tyson went on to post wins over mandatory challenger Frank Bruno, followed by a 93-second rout of Carl "The Truth" Williams. During this time, Tyson became one of the most recognizable athletes in the world and the most dominant figure in boxing. A pro for five years, Tyson entered 1990 with a 37-0 record and 33 knockouts.

His first fight of the new decade was in Tokyo, Japan, in February 1990, against James "Buster" Douglas, a 42-1 underdog. On this night, the undefeated champion learned that not even the greatest of champions manage to go through their entire careers without suffering a setback. Tyson lost his first professional fight in what many consider to be the biggest upset in sports history.

Tyson rebounded from the devastating setback with two opening-round knockouts to close out 1990. Tillman, Tyson's amateur nemesis, was one victim, while Alex Stewart became Tyson's 35th career knockout.

Attempting to regain his titles, Tyson's initial 1991 fight came against the hard-hitting Canadian, Donovan "Razor" Ruddock. Many believed Tyson should not have fought the dangerous challenger, but the former undisputed heavyweight champion was never one to back down. In March 1991, Tyson and Ruddock finally squared off after a prior bout between them was cancelled. Tyson won the first five rounds, and scored knockdowns in the second and third. Displaying great determination, Ruddock stunned Tyson in the sixth round. When the seventh-round bell sounded, Tyson mounted a punishing attack and rattled Ruddock by landing four consecutive power shots. With his back to Ruddock, referee Richard Steele stepped in and stopped the contest with 38 seconds left in the round.

Three months after their first meeting, Tyson and Ruddock squared off in a rematch in June 1991. Ending speculation over what would have happened had their first fight not been stopped, Tyson knocked Ruddock to the canvas twice and broke his jaw en route to a unanimous 12-round decision.

Following four consecutive wins after the stunning loss to Douglas, Tyson was back in position to challenge for the title. After talks heated up with then-champion Evander Holyfield, "Iron Mike" signed to fight the "Real Deal" on Nov. 8, 1991, in Las Vegas. Shortly before the fight was to take place, however, Tyson had to pull out with a rib injury.

Tyson's long-awaited comeback after more than a four-year absence, finally took place in August 1995. Tyson had been inactive for more than four years - three of those years were spent never touching a glove, hitting a bag or even entering a ring. Showing no ill effects from his layoff, it took Tyson only seven seconds to send his opponent, Peter McNeeley, to the canvas. The contest ended less than one minute later when McNeeley's manager halted the mismatch.

Only 10 weeks after his first fight in four years, Tyson signed to fight undefeated Buster Mathis, Jr. in November 1995, but four days prior to the fight, Tyson had to withdraw because of a broken right thumb sustained while training. The fight was rescheduled for December 1995. As usual, Tyson came out swinging at his opponent early. At 2:32 of the third round, the outcome was sealed when consecutive right hands sent Mathis to the canvas. The knockout was Tyson's 37th, and first since March 1991.

Three months later in March 1996, Tyson received his first shot at a world title since losing his belts to Douglas in 1990. Before a sold-out crowd of 15,222 at the MGM Grand Garden, Tyson regained the WBC belt from Frank Bruno. Displaying the old form that made him the youngest man ever to capture the heavyweight championship of the world, Tyson utilized uppercuts, jabs and hooks in combination with his speed and power to dispose of Bruno just 50 seconds into the third round.

In an effort to once again unify the titles, Tyson challenged WBA Champion Bruce Seldon in September 1996, at the MGM Grand. Tyson wasted little time in capturing the WBA crown by knocking Seldon out 1:49 into the opening round. As a result of a court order involving WBC No. 1 contender Lennox Lewis, Tyson was forced to relinquish his WBC belt in September 1996.

In November 1996, Tyson met Evander Holyfield at the MGM Grand in the main event of a fight card billed "Finally." The title referred to the fact that the showdown came five years and one day after it originally was scheduled. Many observers felt this would be Tyson's first test since his 1995 comeback. However, in the end, Holyfield lived up to his "Warrior" moniker. A huge underdog going in, Holyfield proved that he was up to the task. Avoiding Tyson's bombs early and doing a great job of counter-punching, Holyfield had done what no one thought possible and got into the middle rounds. The fight marked the first time Tyson had gone more than three rounds since 1991. In one of the most exciting fights of the decade, Tyson's winning streak was halted as Holyfield did the unthinkable by scoring an 11th-round knockout. Tyson had suffered the second loss of his career.

In the most anticipated rematch in boxing history, Holyfield and Tyson met once again in June, 1997. After fighting Holyfield gallantly for two rounds, Tyson committed two flagrant fouls that forced referee Mills Lane to disqualify him. Tyson's Nevada license also was suspended. Following two hearings to determine his fate, Tyson was awarded his boxing license in a 4-1 vote by the Nevada State Athletic Commission in October 1998.

In January 1999, Tyson returned to the ring against the much-larger Francois Botha. Following a slow start during the initial four rounds, Tyson went on the attack in round five and unleashed a right hand that sent his opponent to the canvas for good.

Tyson's scheduled 10-round fight with former world champion Orlin Norris October 1999 ended in a no contest after the first round. After Tyson hit Norris following the bell had sounded and sent him to the canvas, referee Richard Steele ruled the punch to be accidental. Norris injured his right knee upon landing and could not continue.

His highly anticipated European debut in January 2000 was a smashing success as he scored a second-round technical knockout over British champion Julius Francis. He floored Francis five times. The former undisputed champion knocked Francis down twice in the first round and three times in the second before referee Roy Francis halted matters at 1:03 of the second. He connected with a hook to drop Francis within one minute of the opening bell. A left hand sent Francis to the canvas again late in the first. Pressing the advantage in the second, he floored Francis for a third time after trapping him along the ropes. Moments later, an uppercut dropped Francis for a fourth time. A right uppercut produced the fifth knockdown and ended the bout.

In his second consecutive European appearance in June 2000, He made short work of Lou Savarese by flooring the former United States Boxing Association (USBA) heavyweight champion just eight seconds into the fight. He dropped Savarese with a crushing left hook to the head early in the first round and continued the onslaught with a barrage of unanswered punches before referee stopped the bout just 0:38 into the contest.

His return to the United States was an impressive one. In October 2000, he took on Andrew Golota. He displayed impressive head and side-to-side movement, ducked punches and pressed forward in an aggressive, yet controlled manner. He cut Golota over the left eye and floored him with a smashing overhand right late in the first round. He was deprived of the opportunity for a decisive knockout when Golota, citing injuries, quit and refused to come out for the third round.

Next he took on Brian Nielsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, in October 2001, weighingin at a career-high 239 pounds following an extensive training regimen to add weight. Dominant from the start, he began his assault by pounding the larger Nielsen to the body with combinations in the first round. A three-punch combination sent Nielsen to the canvas for only the second time in his career at the close of round three. He continued to pour on the firepower through rounds four, five and six. A bloodied and bruised Nielsen could not answer the bell for the seventh.

He made his first start in eight months, and just his second in 20 months in June 2002, in Memphis, and was stopped by WBC/WBA heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis by an overhand right hand in the eighth. The fight was boxing's most lucrative ever.

More than eight months later, he returned to Memphis to face Clifford Etienne in February 2003. He floored "The Black Rhino" with a devastating right hand 49 seconds into round one. Etienne hit the canvas hard and was counted out bythe referee.

He returned to the ring, for the first time in seventeen months in July 2004 against Danny Williams. In the Tyson style of old, he stormed out in the first round, winging thunderous left hooks and right hands, but Williams held on and finished the round. In the 2nd and 3rd rounds, Williams continued to take Mike's shots and fired back with his own lefts and right hands. After being penalized two points in the third round (for hitting on the break and a low blow), a Williams right hand finally deposited Tyson on the canvas in the fourth, and the referee stopped the bout at 2:51.