Mike Tyson, a retired professional boxer, became the youngest heavyweight champion of the world in 1986 at age 20. Since retiring from boxing in 2005, Tyson has appeared in several movies and TV shows, become a best-selling author, and launched a successful cannabis business.
Recently, former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson’s highly anticipated fight against Jake Paul has been rescheduled for November 15 in Arlington, Texas. The sanctioned eight-round match against Paul, 27, will stream on Netflix and mark Tyson’s first competitive bout since June 2005. The fight was originally scheduled for July 20 but postponed because of a recent ulcer flare-up for the 58-year-old Tyson. Doctors subsequently advised Tyson to do minimal to no training in the coming weeks, upsetting the original timeline for the fight.
“My body is in better overall shape than it has been since the 1990s, and I will be back to my full training schedule soon,” Tyson said in a statement in late May. “Jake Paul, this may have bought you some time, but in the end, you will still be knocked out and out of boxing for good.”
Quick Facts About Mike Tyson
- FULL NAME: Michael Gerard Tyson
- BORN: June 30, 1966
- BIRTHPLACE: Brooklyn, New York
- SPOUSES: Robin Givens (1988-1989), Monica Turner (1997-2003), and Lakiha Spicer (2009-present)
- CHILDREN: Mikey, Rayna, Amir, Miguel, Exodus, Milan, and Morocco
- ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Cancer
Early Life and Troubled Beginnings
Michael Gerard Tyson was born on June 30, 1966, in Brooklyn, New York, to parents Jimmy Kirkpatrick and Lorna Tyson. When Michael was 2 years old, his father abandoned the family, leaving Lorna to care for Michael and his two siblings, Rodney and Denise. Struggling financially, the Tyson family moved to Brownsville, a Brooklyn neighborhood known for its high crime.
Small and shy, Tyson was often the target of bullying. To combat this, he began developing his own style of street fighting, which ultimately transitioned into criminal activity. Tyson frequently ran into trouble with police over his petty criminal activities, and by age 13, he had been arrested more than 30 times. His bad behavior landed him in the Tryon School for Boys, a reform school in upstate New York.
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At Tryon, Tyson met counselor Bob Stewart, who had been an amateur boxing champion. Tyson wanted Stewart to teach him how to use his fists. Stewart reluctantly agreed, on the condition that Tyson would stay out of trouble and work harder in school. Previously classified as learning disabled, Tyson managed to raise his reading abilities to the seventh-grade level in a matter of months. He also became determined to learn everything he could about boxing, often slipping out of bed after curfew to practice punches in the dark.
Amateur Boxer with Trainer “Cus” D’Amato
In 1980, Bob Stewart felt he had taught Tyson all he knew. He introduced the aspiring boxer to legendary boxing manager Constantine “Cus” D’Amato, who had a gym in Catskill, New York. D’Amato was known for taking personal interest in promising fighters, even providing them room and board in the home he shared with partner Camille Ewald. He had handled the careers of several successful boxers, including Floyd Patterson and Jose Torres, and he immediately recognized Tyson’s promise as a contender, telling him, “If you want to stay here, and if you want to listen, you could be the world heavyweight champion someday.”
The relationship between D’Amato and Tyson was more than that of a professional trainer and a boxer-it was one akin to father and son. D’Amato took Tyson under his wing, and when the 14-year-old was paroled from Tryon in September 1980, he entered into D’Amato’s full-time custody. D’Amato set a rigorous training schedule for the young athlete, sending him to Catskill High School during the day and training in the ring every evening. D’Amato also entered Tyson in amateur boxing matches and “smokers,” non-sanctioned fights, to teach the teen how to deal with older opponents.
Tyson’s life seemed to be looking up, but in 1982, he suffered a couple personal losses. That year, Tyson’s mother died of cancer. He continued his education through private tutors while he trained for the 1984 Olympic trials. Tyson’s showing in the trials didn’t make the cut. He lost to Henry Tillman, the eventual gold medalist, and failed to make the Olympic team. After that, D’Amato decided that it was time for his fighter to turn professional.
Professional Boxing Career
On March 6, 1985, Tyson made his professional boxing debut in Albany, New York, against Hector Mercedes. The 18-year-old knocked Mercedes out in one round. Tyson’s strength, quick fists, and notable defensive abilities intimidated his opponents, who were often afraid to hit the fighter. This gave Tyson the uncanny ability to level his opponents in only one round, and earned him the nickname “Iron Mike.”
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The year was a successful one for Tyson, but it was not without its tragedies: On November 4, 1985, his trainer and surrogate father, Cus D’Amato, died of pneumonia. Kevin Rooney took over for D’Amato and, less than two weeks later, Tyson continued his climb up the heavyweight rankings. Those close to Tyson have said he never fully recovered from D’Amato’s passing.
How Did Mike Tyson Get On The Inside | Mike Tyson Footwork
Heavyweight Championship and First Loss
By 1986, Tyson had garnered a 22-0 record, winning 21 of the fights by knockout. November 22, 1986, was a particular auspicious day. Tyson faced Trevor Berbick in his first title fight for the World Boxing Council heavyweight championship. Tyson won the title by a knockout in the second round. At the age of 20 years and 4 months, he broke Floyd Patterson’s record to become the youngest heavyweight champion in history.
Tyson’s success in the ring didn’t stop there. He defended his title against James Smith on March 7, 1987, adding the World Boxing Association championship to his list of victories. On August 1, he became the first heavyweight to own all three major boxing belts when he seized the International Boxing Federation title from Tony Tucker. But Tyson’s game seemed to be on the decline. He blamed his trainer for his struggles in the ring and fired Rooney in mid-1988.
Tyson defended his title twice more before his winning streak came to an end on February 11, 1990, when he lost his championship belt to Buster Douglas in Tokyo. Tyson, the clear favorite, sent Douglas to the mat in the eighth round, but Douglas came back in the 10th, knocking Tyson out for the first time in his career.
Read also: The Legend of Iron Mike
The Holyfield Fights
After several successful fights, Tyson came head-to-head with his next big challenger: Evander Holyfield. On November 9, 1996, Tyson faced Holyfield for the heavyweight title. The evening didn’t end successfully for Tyson, who lost to Holyfield by a knockout in the 11th round.
Tyson trained heavily for a rematch with Holyfield, and on June 28, 1997, the two boxers faced off again. The fight was televised on pay-per-view and entered nearly 2 million households, setting a record at the time for the highest number of paid television viewers. Both boxers also received record purses for the match, making them the highest-paid professional boxers in history until 2007.
The first and second rounds provided the typical crowd-pleasing action expected from the two champions. But the match took an unexpected turn in the third round. Tyson shocked fans and boxing officials when he grabbed Holyfield and bit both of the boxer’s ears, completely severing a piece of Holyfield’s right ear. Judges didn’t agree with Tyson’s reasoning, however, and disqualified the boxer from the fight.
On July 9, 1997, the Nevada State Athletic Commission revoked Tyson’s boxing license in a unanimous vote and fined the boxer $3 million for biting Holyfield.
Final Fights and Retirement
In October 1998, Tyson’s Nevada boxing license was reinstated and he returned to the ring the next year. The boxer four wins and two no contests before attempting to win back the heavyweight title in 2002. To do so, he would need to beat Lennox Lewis, the WBC, IBF, and International Boxing Organization champion.
The buildup to the highly-publicized fight was contentious. At a January 2002 press conference, the two boxers began a brawl that threatened to cancel the match, but the fight was eventually scheduled for that June. Tyson lost the fight by a knockout, a defeat that signaled the decline of the former champion’s career.
After losing to Danny Williams via knockout in July 2004, he faced Kevin McBride just under a year later. McBride backed up the talk by winning via technical knockout in the sixth round. Tyson immediately announced his retirement. In June 2011, Tyson was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
The former heavyweight champion is briefly stepping out of retirement for an eight-round sanctioned match against Jake Paul. The bout, which will stream live on Netflix, was originally scheduled for July 20, 2024, but later postponed to November 15 due to an ulcer flare-up Tyson experienced.
Boxing Record, Height, and Weight
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Height | 5-foot-10 |
| Typical Weight (Prime) | Under 220 pounds |
| Total Fights | 58 |
| Wins | 50 |
| Losses | 6 |
| Wins by Knockout | 44 |
| No Contests | 2 |
Personal Life: Wives and Kids
Tyson is currently married to his third wife, Lakiha “Kiki” Spicer. The couple wed in 2009. Altogether, Tyson is a father to seven children, including three daughters, three sons, and a nonbinary child.
In March 2009, 4-year-old Exodus tragically died after accidentally strangling herself on a treadmill cord at her mother’s home in Phoenix. Tyson spoke about the incident later that year in a TV interview with Oprah Winfrey.
First Marriage to Robin Givens
In the 1980s, Tyson set his sights on actor Robin Givens. The couple began dating, and on February 7, 1988, they got married in New York. However, allegations of spousal abuse began to surface in the media in June 1988, and Givens and her mother demanded access to Tyson’s money for a down payment on a $3 million home in New Jersey. Tyson’s behavior during this time became increasingly violent and erratic.