Legends of Boxing: Iron Mike Tyson

Posted by Rob Shepherd on Friday, June 9, 2017

Of all the fighters I have ever seen, Mike Tyson is the scariest! He had unbelievable aggression and a punch like a sledgehammer. Even that scowl that he used to have before a fight used to send shivers down my spine. He was no man, Mike Tyson at his prime was an animal!

Tyson: The Story Begins- The Early Days

Tyson’s upbringing is almost a sad cliché, a storyline for just about every Hollywood boxing film ever. A boy full of anguish, his father abandoned him when he was only two and his mother died when he was 16. Living in a poor neighbourhood, Tyson encountered violence and drugs from an early age and petty crime was a way of life.

In an interview, Tyson said of his mother, “I never saw my mother happy with me and proud of me for doing something. She only knew me as being a wild kid running the streets, coming home with new clothes that she knew I didn’t pay for. I never got a chance to talk to her or know about her. Professionally, it has no effect, but it’s crushing emotionally and personally.”

A life of running with gangs and hanging out with the wrong types of people meant Tyson had already been arrested 38 times by the age of 13. A life behind bars was looking a more likely prospect than heavyweight champion of the world.

Tyson was enrolled into Tryon School for Boys in Johnstown, New York and it was here that he would meet Bobby Stewart, who would nurture Tyson’s raw aggression into a legendary fighter. Stewart was so influential in Tyson’s life that he would later become Tyson’s legal guardian.

Although he would leave school without graduating, one thing he was keen to get an education in was boxing. He focused all his energy into training, this was evident when he won gold at the Junior Olympic Games in both 1981 and 1982. Tyson went into the record books for the fastest knockout ever recorded at the Games – eight seconds.

It wasn’t all success though, Tyson turned professional after he failed to beat Henry Timman twice in the Summer Olympics Trials. Henry Tillman would go on to win gold at the 1984 Olympics.

Turning Professional

On March 6th 1985, aged 18, Mike Tyson had his first fight as a professional boxer. As would become common with Tyson, he knocked out Hector Mercedes in the first round.

In just one year, Tyson had fought in 28 fights, winning 26. What made Tyson special was the amount of first round victories he achieved, 16 first round stoppages in the 28 fights is a fantastic rate and testament to the raw power that Tyson possessed.

Tyson would soon be breaking records as he kept winning fights. He won a record 22 consecutive fights, of these, 21 were knockouts. On November 22, 1986, Tyson was to fight Trevor Berbick for the World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight championship.

First World Title

By the time Tyson was to fight Berbick, Tyson was already ranked number 1 heavyweight in the world. He had won 27 professional fights and his supreme confidence pre-fight was that of a man who already considered himself the champion.

Although his opponent was a 3/1 outsider for the fight, Trevor Berbick was the last man to beat the legendary Muhammad Ali and he also went the full 15 rounds with Larry Holmes. Due to this many experts predicted a long fight with a Tyson victory late in the fight.

Any thoughts of a long fight were quickly put to bed as Tyson steamed into Berbick with two thundering right hands within the first 15 seconds. Berbick managed to keep on his feet by the end of the first but only just.

The fight was soon over. Tyson bombarded Berbick with a flurry of punches and the 32-year-old was knocked to the ground. He managed to get to his feet and beat the count but it was futile, seconds later, Tyson was crowned the youngest heavyweight champion in history.

Tyson – At His Prime

In 1987, Tyson became the first fighter to hold the WBC, WBA and IBF titles in a single year. In the same year, Tyson took on the 1984 Olympic super heavyweight gold medallist, Tyrell Biggs. It was expected to be a tough fight but Tyson knocked out Biggs in the seventh round.

There was no doubting the quality of Tyson’s opponents, James, ‘Bonecrusher’ Smith, Larry Holmes, Tony Tubbs, and Michael Spinks were on paper at least, fighters who could pose a problem to Tyson. But Tyson continued to beat anyone who was put in front of him.

The Michael Spinks fight stands out. Spinks was a clever fighter and possessed lightning fast footwork. At the time, some pundits felt this would enable Spinks to keep out of trouble and hit on the counter.

The fight lasted 91 seconds, Tyson was simply majestic.

Tyson – The Cracks Start to Appear

Whilst Tyson was still winning fights, his personal life was full of problems. Tyson sacked his management team and teamed up with controversial boxing promoter Don King.

To understand how toxic this relationship was, this is what he said of King, “He is a wretched, slimy, reptilian motherf**ker. This is supposed to be my ‘black brother’, right? He’s just a bad man, a real bad man. He would kill his own mother for a dollar. He’s ruthless, he’s deplorable, he’s greedy … and he doesn’t know how to love anybody.”

Tyson would later sue his former manager, he claimed $100 million, alleging the boxing promoter cheated him out of millions over more than a decade. However Tyson settled out of court for $14 million.

Tyson’s performances in the ring started to deteriorate. A change in boxing style saw Tyson go for the KO punch to the head instead of putting in the work on the body which had been so effective in his earlier career.

Tyson K.O’d by 42-1 Underdog

If anyone had an insight into the mind of Tyson back in 1990, they would have made a fortune on betting on Buster Douglas to beat Tyson. His head was not in the game and Tyson probably believed his own hype that he was unbeatable. He was more interested in adulterous affairs than training.

“I didn’t consider Buster Douglas much of a challenge, I didn’t even bother watching any of his fights on video. I had easily beaten everybody who had knocked him out.”

“Besides having sex with the maids, I was seeing this young Japanese girl who I had had sex with the last time I was in Japan. Robin [his wife at the time] would go out shopping and I would go downstairs to the back of the hotel where this young girl had a room… So, that was my training for Douglas.”

Tyson’s body language during that fight wasn’t Tyson of old and his heart didn’t appear to be in the fight. Tyson was looking quite beat up on the eye by the fifth but such was the confidence pre-fight (or again, arrogance) that none of Tyson’s camp had brought any icepacks.

Tyson was pretty much managing to survive when his infamous right uppercut connected and sent Douglas flying. What followed was the slowest count ever due to language difficulties with the officials, Douglas had escaped, he should have been counted out.

His luck went from good luck to Leicester-esque luck when two rounds later he was crowned the new heavyweight champion of the world. The 42-1 shot had done it!

1991 – Tyson’s World Collapses

In the ring, it looked like things were getting back on track. Tyson won back to back fights against Henry Tillman and Alex Stewart. He also fought against Donovan Ruddock twice, winning both bouts.

Whilst training for a huge bout against Evander Holyfield, Tyson was arrested and charged with raping a Miss Black America contestant at an Indianapolis hotel. Tyson was indicted on four counts – one count of rape, two counts of criminal deviate conduct and one count of confinement.

Tyson’s former manager Rory Holloway, would later state that Tyson’s arrest and subsequent conviction came as no surprise. Holloway believed that Tyson could have been the best fighter ever but his sex addiction was his weakness.

“I knew there was nobody in the ring who could stop him. The only reason he may not go down as the best is because of his weakness for women. Every decision he made was around women and sex, I knew it would catch up with him, and it did. I don’t think there is a single person alive who could’ve changed the outcome.” Said Holloway in an interview in the Daily mail.

In 1992, after the trial he was convicted on the rape charge and was sentenced to six years in prison followed by four years on probation. During his prison time Tyson converted to Islam and vowed to live a more “disciplined” life. This was to soon unravel when in 1995 he was released from jail and re-united with manager, Don King.

At least in the ring Mike was showing signs of being the fighter he once was. He brushed aside token opponents such as Peter McNeeley and Buster Mathis Jr and when he beat British fighter, Frank Bruno, Tyson was once again heavyweight champion.

Tyson was still eager to fight Evander Holyfield and when the fight did happen it resulted in a surprise win for Holyfield. Tyson’s camp complained bitterly that the reason for the win for Holyfield was his use of the head in the fight. A money-spinning re-match was arranged.

Mike Tyson – Biting Ears

The second fight between Holyfield and Tyson will always live on in boxing history. A highly-anticipated fight that will always be remembered but not for the quality of the fight!

On June 28th 1997, Holyfield and Tyson met for the WBA Heavyweight Championship. In the third round Holyfield got Tyson in a clinch, Tyson then rolled his head and bit into Holyfield’s right ear and then spat the ear onto the canvas. Surprisingly the fight was allowed to continue and Tyson was deducted two points.

Tyson was disqualified when he bit once again Hollyfield’s ear, the new marks were discovered after the round had ended.

Because of the biting, Tyson was hit with a permanent ban from boxing and his license was cancelled as well as being fined $3,000,000. After a year, Tyson appealed and his license was reinstated.

Once again, Tyson tried to revive his career and won a bad-tempered fight against the South African Francois Botha. Botha accused Tyson of trying to break his arm during the fight and Botha had actually controlled the fight until a right-hand knocked him out in the fifth-round.

Once again, it was problems in his personal life that halted any progress. On February 5, 1999, Tyson was sentenced to a year’s imprisonment for assaulting two people after a traffic accident.

Tyson was released after nine months and fought Orlin Norris on October 23, 1999. Norris was knocked down by a punch that had landed after the bell, he claimed he was unable to continue and the fight was ruled a no contest.

A fight at the Manchester Arena was next and it took Tyson just four minutes to finish off Julius Francis. His next fight in Glasgow against Lou Savares would be even shorter, just 38 seconds.

His next fight against Andrew Golota was another that was ruled a no contest after Tyson tested positive for marijuana in a post-fight urine test. Next up was a routine win against Brian Nielsen before the fight everyone in Britain wanted to see, Tyson v Lewis.

Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson

British Lennox Lewis held the WBC, IBF, IBO and Lineal titles at the time and there was bad blood between Tyson and Lewis. Tyson had earlier said to Lewis at a press conference, “I want your heart, I want to eat your children.”
At an event to publicise the fight in January 2002, a brawl took place between the boxers and their camps. The fight looked to be in trouble as many states refuses to grant Tyson a boxing license but one was eventually granted and the fight took place on June 8 at the Pyramid Arena in Memphis, Tennessee.
The fight was the end for Tyson in reality, Lewis knocked Tyson out in the eighth round and none of Tyson’s future opponents would be in the same class as Lewis. The end was fast approaching.

Tyson – After Boxing

Tyson knew his boxing career was over and it was sad to hear the dejection in his voice, quite different to the fearless youngster that dominated the heavyweight division. After quitting before the start of the seventh round against Irishman Kevin McBride,

Tyson said;

“’I don’t have the guts to be in this sport any more. I’d liked to have continued, but I saw that I was getting beat on. I just don’t have this in my heart anymore.”

“I’m not going to disrespect the sport by losing to this calibre of fighter. This is my ending. I’m not interested in fighting any more. I hate the smell of a gym. I hate the boxing game. That guy (referring to himself) in 1985, 1986 – I don’t know that guy anymore.”

“I don’t have a connection with him anymore. I’m just not that person any more. I believed that I was still a fighter, but I’m not. I’m washed up.”

Looking back on Tyson’s career you can’t help but thinking “If only!” If Tyson had been given support, protection from the yes men and guidance then I think a young Mike Tyson could have gone undefeated in his career. I rated him that highly but like many fighters, it’s the pressure outside the ring that is often the cause of the downfall.

It was easy to worry about Tyson when he finally retired, his mental health struggles are well documented and Tyson would still have bouts of rage if he felt a reporter was attacking him. Tyson himself didn’t see himself lasting beyond the age of 30 but in 2016, Tyson celebrated his 50th birthday.

Instead of his fists, Iron Mike now makes a living recounting stories about his life and career. In his show, which became a big hit on Broadway, Mike is brutally honest and really shows a venerable side.

I highly recommend watching Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth as the tagline says, “This is my story, my mistakes, my heartaches, my joy, my sorrow, my gift, my life, my undisputed truth.” The film is directed by Spike Lee and it gives a great insight into one of the greatest heavyweight champions of the world.