Mike Tyson

This article is about the American boxer and media personality. For other people named Mike Tyson, see Mike Tyson (disambiguation). For other people who use the moniker "Iron Mike", see Iron Mike (disambiguation) § People.

Mike Tyson
Tyson at GalaxyCon, 2023
Born
Michael Gerard Tyson

(1966-06-30) June 30, 1966 (age 58)
New York City, U.S.
Spouses
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 1988; div. 1989)​
  • Monica Turner
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1997; div. 2003)​
  • Lakiha Spicer
    ​
    (m. 2009)​
Children7
Statistics
Weight(s)Heavyweight
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)[1][2][nb 1]
Reach71 in (180 cm)[3]
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights59
Wins50
Wins by KO44
Losses7
No contests2
Medal record
Men's amateur boxing
National Junior Olympics
Gold medal – first place 1981 North Carolina Heavyweight
Gold medal – first place 1982 Tennessee Heavyweight
Golden Gloves
Gold medal – first place 1984 New York Heavyweight
Websitemiketyson.com

Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1985 and 2005, with a post-retirement fight in 2024. Nicknamed "Iron Mike"[4] and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "the Baddest Man on the Planet",[5] Tyson is regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.[6] He reigned as the undisputed[a] world heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990. Tyson won his first 19 professional fights by knockout, 12 of them in the first round. Claiming his first belt at 20 years, 4 months, and 22 days old, Tyson holds the record as the youngest boxer ever to win a heavyweight title.[7] He was the first heavyweight boxer to simultaneously hold the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Council (WBC), and International Boxing Federation (IBF) titles, as well as the only heavyweight to unify them in succession. The following year, Tyson became the lineal champion when he knocked out Michael Spinks in 91 seconds of the first round.[8] In 1990, Tyson lost the undisputed heavyweight championship when he was knocked out by underdog Buster Douglas, making it one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.[9]

He returned to the ring that same year, defeating Henry Tillman via knockout in the first round. He would go on to win three fights, including two against Donovan Ruddock. In 1992, he was convicted of rape and sentenced to six years in prison. He was released on parole after three years.[10] After his release in 1995, he engaged in a series of comeback fights, regaining the WBA and WBC titles in 1996 to join Floyd Patterson, Muhammad Ali, Tim Witherspoon, Evander Holyfield and George Foreman as the only men in boxing history to have regained a heavyweight championship after losing it. After being stripped of the WBC title in the same year, Tyson lost the WBA title to Evander Holyfield by an eleventh round stoppage. Their 1997 rematch ended when Tyson was disqualified for biting Holyfield's ears. In 2002, Tyson fought for the world heavyweight title, losing by knockout to Lennox Lewis. In November 2024, his bout against Jake Paul, which he lost via unanimous decision, became the biggest boxing gate in US history outside of Las Vegas.[11][12]

Tyson was known for his ferocious and intimidating boxing style as well as his controversial behavior inside and outside the ring, which he explained was inspired by Sonny Liston, a boxer who is widely regarded as the most intimidating man in the history of boxing.[13][14] With a knockout-to-win percentage of 88%,[15] he was ranked 16th on The Ring magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time,[16] and first on ESPN's list of "The Hardest Hitters in Heavyweight History".[17] Sky Sports described him as "perhaps the most ferocious fighter to step into a professional ring".[18] He has been inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

Outside his boxing career, Tyson has appeared in various popular media. In movies and television, he appeared in the well-received Rocky Balboa (2006), The Hangover (2009), Mike Tyson Mysteries (2014–2020), Ip Man 3 (2015), and Kickboxer: Retaliation (2018). He appeared as the titular final boss in the video game Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (1987). His personal and professional exploits were recounted in the documentary Tyson, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008. His memoirs Undisputed Truth (2013) and Iron Ambition: My Life with Cus D’Amato (2017) were written with Larry Sloman.[19]

  1. ^ Lewis, Darren (November 15, 2005). "Mike Tyson Exclusive: No More Mr Bad Ass". The Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on May 27, 2014. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  2. ^ J, Jenna (August 22, 2013). "Mike Tyson: 'I always thought of myself as a big guy, as a giant, I never thought I was five foot ten'". Doghouse Boxing. Archived from the original on August 26, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2014.
  3. ^ HBO Sports tale of the tape prior to the Lennox Lewis fight.
  4. ^ McIntyre, Jay (September 1, 2014). ""Iron," Mike Tyson – At His Sharpest". Boxingnews24.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
  5. ^ Boyd, Todd (2008). African Americans and Popular Culture. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. p. 235. ISBN 9780313064081. Archived from the original on June 18, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  6. ^ Eisele, Andrew (2007). "50 Greatest Boxers of All-Time". About.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
  7. ^ "At only 20 years of age, Mike Tyson became the youngest heavyweight boxing champion of the world". Archived from the original on February 17, 2015. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  8. ^ ""Iron" Mike Tyson". Cyber Boxing Zone. Archived from the original on February 19, 2010. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
  9. ^ Mike Tyson vs Buster Douglas, 1990, archived from the original on May 25, 2021, retrieved May 25, 2021
  10. ^ "Mike Tyson". biography.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  11. ^ Golden, Jessica (November 15, 2024). "Netflix said a record 60 million households worldwide tuned in for Jake Paul versus Mike Tyson fight". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  12. ^ "Boxing results: Jake Paul defeats Mike Tyson by decision". ESPN.com. November 16, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  13. ^ Sonny Liston, The Champion That Nobody Wanted. A&E Biography. July 25, 2001. Event occurs at 12:38. Retrieved November 1, 2023 – via Boxing Royalty (YouTube). (former boxer Chuck Wepner speaking) Nobody ever hit me like that guy. Every time he hit you, he broke something. I went through ten rounds with him, and broke my nose, my left cheekbone, and gave me 72 stitches. I was an intimidator until I fought Sonny Liston.
  14. ^ "The Top 12 All-Time Most Intimidating Fighters In Boxing History". The Fight City. March 29, 2018. Archived from the original on July 18, 2023. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  15. ^ "BoxRec: Mike Tyson". boxrec.com. Archived from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  16. ^ Eisele, Andrew (2003). "Ring Magazine's 100 Greatest Punchers". About.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
  17. ^ Houston, Graham (2007). "The hardest hitters in heavyweight history". ESPN. Bristol, Connecticut. Archived from the original on May 1, 2009. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
  18. ^ "Mike Tyson? Sonny Liston? Who is the scariest boxer ever?". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on October 31, 2015. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  19. ^ "Mike Tyson". Encyclopædia Britannica. November 19, 2024. Retrieved November 21, 2024.


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