Mike Tyson is a retired undisputed heavyweight world champion boxer. As of the year 2012, he remains the youngest man to win the International Boxing Federation (IBF), World Boxing Association (WBA), and World Boxing Council (WBC) titles at the young age of 20. He was conjointly the first to win all three titles at the same time.
| BIRTHDAY | 30 JUNE 1966 |
| AGE | 55 YEARS |
| WIFE | ROBIN GIVENS (1988 -1989) MONICA TURNER (1997 – 2003) LAKIHA SPICER (2009) |
| CHILDREN | 8 |
| PROFESSION | HEAVYWEIGHT PROFESSIONAL BOXER |
| HEIGHT | 5ft 10inches |
EARLY LIFE OF KID DYNAMITE
Michael Gerard “Mike” Tyson was born on 30th June 1966 in Brooklyn, New York. His father was listed on his birth certificate as Percell Tyson; however, Mike considers Jimmy Kirkpatrick his true father as Kirkpatrick was living along with his mother, Lorna Smith Tyson, at the time of his birth. Shortly thenceforth, Mike, along with his mother, brother, and sister, were abandoned by Kirkpatrick.
A member of various street gangs at a very young age, Tyson was sent to a penal institution in upstate New York in 1978. At the correctional institution, public worker and boxing aficionado Bobby Stewart understood his massive boxing potential. They directed him to renowned trainer Cus D’Amato, who became his sort of legal guardian. Tyson compiled a 24–3 record as an amateur boxer and switched to the professional circuit in 1985.
Mike Tyson was exposed to a criminal circuit early in his life while living in high-crime areas. He indulged in petty thefts and fighting. His high voice and lisp were frequent catalysts for getting involved in fisticuffs on the road, which he typically did. By the time he was 13, he had been arrested about three dozen times. He was punished to the custody of a juvenile penal center in Johnstown, N.Y., where he began to hone his boxing skills.
STRUGGLING PERIOD OF MIKE TYSON
When Mike was just 16, his mother died, and he was left in the custody of Cus D’Amato, who became an actual father figure to him. D’Amato was a boxing trainer who took young Mike beneath his wing, seeing the potential in the future champ.
Tyson had to bear the loss of his sister, who died of heart failure at the age of 24. His brother became a doctor’s assistant at the L.A. County-USC Medical Center. He and Mike have remained in touch, though their visits are not so often. He even considers Jimmie Lee Kirkpatrick, son of Jimmy Kirkpatrick, his half-brother.
STEPPING INTO AMATEUR CIRCUIT
Tyson also won Gold Medals at the Junior Olympic Games of 1981 and 1982. He was the 1984 National Golden Gloves Champion, though he did lose two amateur bouts to Henry Tillman, who eventually won the Gold at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in L.A.
D’Amato schooled Tyson in a peekaboo boxing style, with hands held on the point of his cheeks and endless bobbing motion in the boxing ring that created his defense nearly unbreakable. At 5 feet 11 inches (1.8 meters) tall and weighing about 218 pounds (99 kg), Tyson was short and squat and lacked the classic heavyweight boxer’s look; however, his shocking quickness and aggressiveness in the ring overpowered him in front of most of his opponents. On 22nd November 1986, he became the youngest heavyweight champion in history, with a second-round knockout of Trevor Berbick, to claim the crown of the World Boxing Council (WBC).
On 7th March 1987, he claimed the World Boxing Association (WBA) belt after defeating James Smith. After defeating Tony Tucker on 1st August 1987, Tyson was recognized as champion by all three sanctioning organizations (WBC, WBA, and International Boxing Federation [IBF]).
ENTRY INTO THE PROFESSIONAL CIRCUIT
Mike Tyson’s debut in the professional circuit was at the tender age of 18 in 1985. His initial 19 professional bouts all resulted in wins, with 12 of them being won in the very first round only. He went on to win 26 of his first 28 professional bouts by knockout or technical knockout, with 16 of those being in the fight’s initial round as well.
In 1986, Tyson fought his first title bout. His opponent was Trevor Berbick, whom he knocked out in the second round. He claimed the WBA belt with a unanimous decision over James Smith in 1987 and added to the collection by defeating IBF champion Tony Tucker by another unanimous decision.
Due to these title fights and his success, Tyson was named Ring Magazine’s Fighter of the Year for the years 1986 and 1988.
PEAK TIME OF MIKE TYSON’S CAREER
Tyson’s positive infamy began with a 91-second knockout of reigning heavyweight champion Michael Spinks in 1988. He went on to defend that crown successfully nine times. These included triumphs over Frank Bruno, a top fighter from the U.K., and Larry Holmes, who went on to compile a career mark of 69-6 with 44 K.O.’s.
Tyson’s life flipped when James “Buster” Douglas surprised him in a 1990 championship match. Tyson was hammered by Douglas into submission and also round 10 knockout. Afterward, the current, former world champion tried a comeback. He beat Donovan Ruddock 2 times in 1991, then had to withdraw from a scheduled bout with the reigning heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield because of a severe injury.
HOW TYSON’S LIFE TURNED UPSIDE DOWN?
Less than a year later, Tyson was charged and accused of rape and served three years of a six-year sentence. Another comeback tries followed his release, and he once more claimed the WBC and WBA titles by defeating Frank Bruno again and Bruce Seldon.
Even after a, to some extent, successful comeback after being free from jail, Tyson couldn’t escape the negative public perception of him following his 1992 rape sentence. Allegations of continued abuse toward women followed him, even during his first wedding to renowned actress Robin Givens.
Tyson was incarcerated for a year after being accused of assaulting two bikers during a road incident in Vegas. He has been accused of a minimum of 2 DUIs and minor drug possession charges during his fall from grace.
He filed for bankruptcy in 2003 and formally retired from the sport in 2006, following another comeback attempt.
What age is a boxer at his peak?
Two of Tyson’s most unforgettable fights engaged Evander Holyfield. In 1996, the heavily favored Tyson lost to Holyfield, and in the 1997 rematch, Tyson was disqualified for biting off a part of Holyfield’s ear.
After being stripped of the WBC crown and losing the WBA to Evander Holyfield in 1996 and 1997, “Iron Mike,” who had begun his career as “Kid Dynamite,” was now no longer “The Baddest Man on the Planet.”
Reference link: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mike-Tyson