The many lives of Mike Tyson will add one other chapter on Friday.
At age 58, Tyson will fight Jake Paul, the 27-year-old YouTube star-turned-boxer who wasn't even born when Tyson's profession peaked. It is Tyson's first sanctioned skilled match since 2005.
The Tyson who will enter the ring on Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, is a far cry from the Tyson whose pro profession ended 19 years ago when he retired on the chair before the beginning of the seventh round in a loss to Kevin McBride . He's a fair greater difference from the Tyson who infamously bit Evander Holyfield's ear, the Tyson who spent three years in prison, or the “Iron Mike” who dominated the game within the Eighties.
This Tyson is a shell of the fighter he once was – although he retains the boldness of a championship contender: “I'm not going to lose,” he said this week.
– Netflix (@netflix) November 15, 2024
As Tyson prepares for his comeback against today's viral boxing star, his profession invites a glance back. Here's a have a look at Tyson's development over the last decade.
The Eighties: The Rise of “Iron Mike”
At 18, Tyson won his skilled debut with a first-round TKO against Hector Mercedes on March 6, 1985 in Albany, NY. From then on, his rise was meteoric.
Tyson fought 15 times in ten months in 1985, winning all by knockout. In 1986, he fought 13 more times and have become the youngest heavyweight champion in history (at 20 years and 145 days), with a second round of vicious left hooks that knocked out Trevor Berbick – the last fighter to defeat Muhammad Ali Ring tripped .
“I truly believe that Mike creates an aura of invincibility,” Tyson’s then-co-manager Jim Jacobs said afterwards. “I saw Trevor Berbick on tapes. And this Trevor Berbick was nothing like the Trevor Berbick I saw. He fought like he was in slow motion.”
By Tyson's twenty first birthday, he had gone 30-0 to win the unified WBA and WBC heavyweight titles. In fight number 31, Tyson defeated Tony Tucker, winning the IBF title and becoming the primary heavyweight to carry all three major belts. By the top of the last decade, he would defend these belts six more times – all by knockout. His victory over Michael Spinks, 91 seconds into the primary round, is taken into account by many to be the highlight of Tyson's profession.
The numbers for Tyson's 37 fights within the Eighties were staggering: he won 33 by knockout, including 17 in the primary round.
The Early Nineties: A Surprise and a Conviction
Tyson was the 42-1 favorite and it seemed certain he would go to 38-0 when he faced Buster Douglas in February 1990. Instead, Tokyo Dome suffered considered one of the largest upsets in sports history when Douglas knocked him out within the tenth round. Douglas had just been defeated by Tucker with a TKO three years earlier and was relegated to the undercard on the identical night Tyson Spinks dominated.
Behind the scenes, Tyson's personal life began to crumble within the lead-up to the surprise. His first wife, actress Robin Givens, said in a television interview that marriage to Tyson was “torture, pure hell” and filed for divorce, citing marital abuse. Tyson also split along with his manager and trainer before the fight.
After the defeat, Tyson recovered with 4 wins in 12 months, rebuilding his position and establishing a fight with heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, but this fight lasted five years. In 1992, Tyson was sentenced to 6 years in prison for raping an 18-year-old woman. He served three months before being paroled in March 1995.
The late Nineties: Tyson vs. Holyfield
Tyson returned to the ring to much fanfare in August 1995 and inside 13 months regained the WBC and WBA titles, ultimately establishing the heavyweight duel with Holyfield. But Holyfield, who was considered out of the woods in 1996, scored a surprising eleventh-round TKO over Tyson.
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A rematch was quickly arranged for June 1997. The highly anticipated Tyson-Holyfield II set a then PPV record of 1.99 million buys.
Viewers on PPV and on the MGM Grand witnessed some of the confusing moments within the history of skilled sports. As the third round got here to an end, Tyson grabbed Holyfield several times and bit Holyfield on each ears, severing a part of Holyfield's right ear and ending the fight with a Tyson disqualification.
Holyfield touched his right ear after being bitten by Tyson within the 1997 match. (Photo: Jeff Haynes / AFP via Getty Images)
Tyson's boxing license in Nevada was later suspended, a choice followed by other state athletic commissions. It could be over 18 months before the license was reinstated, and through that point Tyson made his first foray into popular culture, appearing at WrestleMania XIV.
The decade ended with Tyson returning to the ring to knock out Francois Botha in January 1999, then serving three and a half months in prison for attacking two riders in an incident in 1998, before fighting again in October 1999 against Orlin Norris took over. This fight was decided as a no contest.
The 2000s: Retirement from boxing, rise of popular culture
At the age of 33, Tyson was trying to attain a resurgence towards the top of his profession. After knocking out Lou Savarese in June 2000, Tyson called out heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis, saying, “I want your heart, I want to eat your children.”
His likelihood against Lewis finally got here in June 2002. Lewis controlled the fight for probably the most part, because the champion survived Tyson's attack in the primary round and controlled the pace with strong jabs. With lower than a minute left within the eighth round, a right cross from Lewis landed flush, putting Tyson on his back for the count.
The loss hastened the top of Tyson's skilled profession. His last skilled victory got here in 2003 against Clifford Etienne.
His last skilled fight – until Friday against Paul – took place against McBride in 2005. Tyson, who had major problems along with his stamina and the peak difference, managed to maintain the fight close on the scorecards, but was then given a two-point penalty for heading the ball. The sixth round ended with Tyson collapsing on the mat after a slip, and the match ended without Tyson ever getting up from his chair to reply within the seventh round.
“I no longer have the courage to pursue this sport,” Tyson said afterwards. “I don’t want to disrespect the sport I love. My heart is no longer attached to it. I feel sorry for the fans who paid for this. I wish I could have done better.”
Tyson on the mat after slipping at the top of the sixth round against McBride. Tyson would end the fight before the beginning of the seventh round. (Photo: Paul J. Richards / AFP via Getty Images)
Within a couple of years, Tyson found a second profession – through movies, television and entertainment.
In 2006, he appeared within the film “Rocky Balboa,” but his breakthrough got here in 2009 in “The Hangover,” playing air drum to Phil Collins' “In the Air Tonight” before portraying Zach Galifianakis' character Alan turned off. He later made guest appearances on “How I Met Your Mother,” “Dancing with the Stars” and in a Foot Locker business wherein he apologizes to Holyfield for biting his ear and hugs his old rival.
The 2020s: A return to the ring
In 2020, Tyson agreed to an eight-round fight against Roy Jones Jr., a fight that was sanctioned in California. Both boxers were over 50 years old and the fight was fought under the special instructions that it shouldn’t transcend the “limits of a competitive boxing show”, meaning that neither opponent should attempt to eliminate the opposite.
The fight resulted in a draw, although Tyson clearly outclassed Jones. On the identical card, Paul appeared in his second boxing match, where he knocked out former NBA player Nate Robinson.
Netflix announced the Tyson-Paul fight on Friday for March 2024. It was originally presupposed to happen in July. In April, the bout was sanctioned as an expert bout by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations, consisting of eight two-minute rounds using 14-ounce gloves.
In late May, Tyson suffered an ulcer attack while flying from Miami to Los Angeles, forcing the fight to be postponed. According to Tyson, the ulcer in his stomach was over two inches in size and caused him to lose 26 kilos. On the flight he said he vomited blood.
“I asked the doctor, 'Am I going to die?'” Tyson said within the preview series: “Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson.” “And she didn’t say no. However, she said we had options. That’s when I got nervous.”
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