122 Facts About Mike Tyson

Michael Gerard Tyson was born on June 30,1966 and is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005.

Mike Tyson reigned as the undisputed world heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990.

Mike Tyson won his first 19 professional fights by knockout, 12 of them in the first round.

Mike Tyson was the first heavyweight boxer to simultaneously hold the WBA, WBC and IBF titles, as well as the only heavyweight to unify them in succession.

In 1990, Mike Tyson was knocked out by underdog Buster Douglas in one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.

In 2002, Mike Tyson fought for the world heavyweight title, losing by knockout to Lennox Lewis.

Mike Tyson was known for his ferocious and intimidating boxing style as well as his controversial behavior inside and outside the ring.

Mike Tyson has been inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

Michael Gerard Mike Tyson was born into a Catholic family in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, New York City on June 30,1966.

Mike Tyson has an older brother named Rodney was born on c 1961 and and an older sister named Denise, who died of a heart attack at age 24 in February 1990.

Mike Tyson's mother, born in Charlottesville, Virginia was described as a promiscuous woman who might have been a prostitute.

Kirkpatrick abandoned the Tyson family around the time Mike was born, leaving Tyson's mother to care for the children on her own.

The family lived in Bedford-Stuyvesant until their financial burdens necessitated a move to Brownsville when Mike Tyson was 10 years old.

Mike Tyson's mother died six years later, leaving 16-year-old Mike Tyson in the care of boxing manager and trainer Cus D'Amato, who would become his legal guardian.

Mike Tyson was repeatedly caught committing petty crimes and fighting those who ridiculed his high-pitched voice and lisp.

Mike Tyson ended up at the Tryon School for Boys in Johnstown, New York.

Mike Tyson's emerging boxing ability was discovered there by Bobby Stewart, a juvenile detention center counselor and former boxer.

Stewart considered Mike Tyson to be an outstanding fighter and trained him for a few months before introducing him to Cus D'Amato.

Mike Tyson would be awarded an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Central State University in 1989.

In 1984 Mike Tyson won the gold medal at the Nation Golden Gloves held in New York, beating Jonathan Littles.

Mike Tyson fought Henry Tillman twice as an amateur, losing both bouts by decision.

Mike Tyson made his professional debut as an 18-year-old on March 6,1985, in Albany, New York.

Mike Tyson had 15 bouts in his first year as a professional.

Mike Tyson knocked down Ferguson with an uppercut in the fifth round that broke Ferguson's nose.

The ruling was "adjusted" to a win by technical knockout after Mike Tyson's corner protested that a DQ win would end Mike Tyson's string of knockout victories, and that a knockout would have been the inevitable result.

Mike Tyson won easily, charging at Frazier at the opening bell and hitting him with an uppercut that knocked Frazier unconscious thirty seconds into the fight.

On November 22,1986, Mike Tyson was given his first title fight against Trevor Berbick for the World Boxing Council heavyweight championship.

Mike Tyson won the title by TKO in the second round, and at the age of 20 years and 4 months became the youngest heavyweight champion in history.

Mike Tyson added the WBA and IBF titles after defeating James Smith and Tony Tucker in 1987.

Mike Tyson intimidated fighters with his strength, combined with outstanding hand speed, accuracy, coordination and timing.

Mike Tyson possessed notable defensive abilities, holding his hands high in the peek-a-boo style taught by his mentor Cus D'Amato to slip under and weave around his opponent's punches while timing his own.

Mike Tyson's explosive punching technique was due in large part to crouching immediately prior to throwing a hook or an uppercut: this allowed the 'spring' of his legs to add power to the punch.

Mike Tyson defended his title against James Smith on March 7,1987, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Mike Tyson won by unanimous decision and added Smith's World Boxing Association title to his existing belt.

Mike Tyson faced Larry Holmes on January 22,1988, and defeated the legendary former champion by KO in the fourth round.

In late 1988, Mike Tyson parted with manager Bill Cayton and fired longtime trainer Kevin Rooney, the man many credit for honing Mike Tyson's craft after the death of D'Amato.

In 1989, Mike Tyson had only two fights amid personal turmoil.

Mike Tyson failed to find a way past Douglas's quick jab that had a 12-inch reach advantage over his own.

Mike Tyson did catch Douglas with an uppercut in the eighth round and knocked him to the floor, but Douglas recovered sufficiently to hand Mike Tyson a heavy beating in the subsequent two rounds.

Mike Tyson, who was the number one contender, faced number two contender Donovan "Razor" Ruddock on March 18,1991, in Las Vegas.

Under lead defense lawyer Vincent J Fuller's direct examination, Tyson claimed that everything had taken place with Washington's full consent and he claimed not to have forced himself upon her.

On March 26,1992, Mike Tyson was sentenced to six years in prison along with four years of probation.

Mike Tyson was assigned to the Indiana Youth Center in April 1992, and he was released in March 1995 after serving less than three years of the sentence.

Mike Tyson left with prison tattoos of tennis player Arthur Ashe and Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong; Tyson dates his tattoo of Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara to this time.

However, Mike Tyson has stated that he converted to Islam before entering prison, but made no efforts to correct the misinformation in the media.

Mike Tyson never changed his given name to an Islamic one, despite the rumors.

The 89-second fight elicited criticism that Mike Tyson's management lined up "tomato cans" to ensure easy victories for his return.

Mike Tyson regained one belt by easily winning the WBC title against Frank Bruno in March 1996.

Mike Tyson attempted to defend the WBA title against Evander Holyfield, who was in the fourth fight of his own comeback.

On November 9,1996, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Mike Tyson faced Holyfield in a title bout dubbed "Finally".

Originally, Halpern was supposed to be the referee, but after Mike Tyson's camp protested, Halpern stepped aside in favor of Mills Lane.

Soon to become one of the most controversial events in modern sports, the fight was stopped at the end of the third round, with Mike Tyson disqualified for biting Holyfield on both ears.

Mike Tyson later stated that his actions were retaliation for Holyfield repeatedly headbutting him without penalty.

Two days after the fight, Mike Tyson issued a statement, apologizing to Holyfield for his actions and asked not to be banned for life over the incident.

Mike Tyson was roundly condemned in the news media but was not without defenders.

In January 1999, Mike Tyson returned to the ring for a match against the South African Francois Botha.

Nonetheless, Mike Tyson landed a straight right hand in the fifth round that knocked out Botha.

Critics noticed Mike Tyson stopped using the bob and weave defense altogether following this return.

On February 5,1999, Mike Tyson was sentenced to a year's imprisonment, fined $5,000, and ordered to serve two years probation along with undergoing 200 hours of community service for assaulting two motorists after a traffic accident on August 31,1998.

Mike Tyson knocked down Norris with a left hook thrown after the bell sounded to end the first round.

Mike Tyson fought Lou Savarese in June 2000 in Glasgow, winning in the first round; the fight lasted only 38 seconds.

Mike Tyson continued punching after the referee had stopped the fight, knocking the referee to the floor as he tried to separate the boxers.

The result was later changed to no contest after Mike Tyson refused to take a pre-fight drug test and then tested positive for marijuana in a post-fight urine test.

Mike Tyson fought only once in 2001, beating Brian Nielsen in Copenhagen by TKO in the seventh round.

Mike Tyson had the opportunity to fight for a heavyweight championship in 2002.

Two years prior to the bout, Mike Tyson had made several inflammatory remarks to Lewis in an interview following the Savarese fight.

Mike Tyson was respectful after the fight and praised Lewis on his victory.

On July 30,2004, Mike Tyson had a match against British boxer Danny Williams in another comeback fight, and this time, staged in Louisville, Kentucky.

Mike Tyson underwent surgery for the ligament four days after the fight.

On June 11,2005, Mike Tyson stunned the boxing world by quitting before the start of the seventh round in a close bout against journeyman Kevin McBride.

Mike Tyson was married to Turner from 1997 to 2003.

Mike Tyson used his baby's urine for the same purpose.

Mike Tyson appeared to be "holding back" in the exhibition to prevent an early end to the "show".

In July 2020, Mike Tyson announced the creation of Mike Tyson's Legends Only League.

Mike Tyson formed the league in partnership with Sophie Watts and her company, Eros Innovations.

On November 28,2020, Mike Tyson fought Roy Jones Jr.

Mike Tyson was The Ring magazine's Fighter of the Year in 1986 and 1988.

Mike Tyson is remembered for his attire of black trunks, black shoes with no socks, and a plain white towel fit around his neck in place of a traditional robe, as well as his habit of rapidly pacing the ring before the start of a fight.

Mike Tyson is ranked number 16 on The Ring magazine's 2003 list of 100 greatest punchers of all time.

Mike Tyson has defeated 11 boxers for the world heavyweight title, the seventh-most in history.

Mike Tyson killed the fighters he was supposed to beat, but when he fought another elite fighter, he always lost.

In 2013, Mike Tyson was inducted into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame and headlined the induction ceremony.

Mike Tyson was inducted into the Southern Nevada Hall of Fame in 2015 along with four other inductees with ties to Southern Nevada.

Mike Tyson reflected on his strongest opponents in ten categories for a 2014 interview with The Ring magazine, including best jab, best defense, fastest hands, fastest feet, best chin, smartest, strongest, best puncher, best boxer, and best overall.

Mike Tyson spoke with The Ring magazine in 2020 about his six greatest victories, which included knockouts of Trevor Berbick, Pinklon Thomas, Tony Tucker, Tyrell Biggs, Larry Holmes, and Michael Spinks.

In 2020, CBS Sports boxing experts Brian Campbell and Brent Brookhouse ranked the top 10 heavyweights of the last 50 years and Mike Tyson was ranked number 7.

Mike Tyson has stayed in the limelight by promoting various websites and companies.

Mike Tyson has held entertainment boxing shows at a casino in Las Vegas and started a tour of exhibition bouts to pay off his numerous debts.

On December 29,2006, Mike Tyson was arrested in Scottsdale, Arizona, on suspicion of DUI and felony drug possession; he nearly crashed into a police SUV shortly after leaving a nightclub.

On September 24,2007, Mike Tyson pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine and driving under the influence.

Mike Tyson was convicted of these charges in November 2007 and sentenced to 24 hours in jail.

Prosecutors had requested a year-long jail sentence, but the judge praised Mike Tyson for seeking help with his drug problems.

On November 11,2009, Mike Tyson was arrested after getting into a scuffle at Los Angeles International airport with a photographer.

Mike Tyson has taken acting roles in movies and television, most famously playing a fictionalized version of himself in the 2009 film The Hangover.

The mission of the Mike Tyson Cares Foundation is to "give kids a fighting chance" by providing innovative centers that provide for the comprehensive needs of kids from broken homes.

At the Golden Podium Awards Ceremony, Mike Tyson received the Sportel Special Prize for the best autobiography.

In May 2017, Mike Tyson published his second book, Iron Ambition, which details his time with trainer and surrogate father Cus D'Amato.

In February 2018, Mike Tyson attended the international mixed martial arts tournament in the Russian city of Chelyabinsk.

On May 12,2020, Mike Tyson posted a video on his Instagram of him training again.

On May 23,2020, at All Elite Wrestling's Double or Nothing, Mike Tyson helped Cody defeat Lance Archer alongside Jake Roberts and presented him the inaugural AEW TNT Championship.

Mike Tyson returned to AEW on the April 7,2021 episode of Dynamite and helped Jericho from being attacked by The Pinnacle, beating down Shawn Spears in the process.

Mike Tyson made an extended cameo appearance in the Telugu-Hindi movie Liger, which released on August 25,2022.

Mike Tyson has been married three times, and has seven children, one deceased, with three women; in addition to his biological children, Tyson includes his second wife's oldest daughter as one of his own.

Mike Tyson, who was in Las Vegas at the time of the incident, traveled back to Phoenix to be with her.

Eleven days after his daughter's death, Mike Tyson wed for the third time, to longtime girlfriend Lakiha "Kiki" Spicer, age 32, exchanging vows on Saturday, June 6,2009, in a short, private ceremony at the La Bella Wedding Chapel at the Las Vegas Hilton.

In March 2011, Mike Tyson appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to discuss his new Animal Planet reality series Taking on Mike Tyson.

In November 2013, Mike Tyson stated "the more I look into the churches and mosques for god, the more I start seeing the devil".

But, just a month later, in a December 2013 interview with Fox News, Mike Tyson said that he is very grateful to be a Muslim and that he needs Allah in his life.

In 2015, Mike Tyson announced that he was supporting Donald Trump's presidential candidacy.

Mike Tyson accused Tyson of kissing her several times before pulling off her pants and raping her, despite repeatedly telling him to stop.

At the height of his fame and career in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, Mike Tyson was among the most recognized sports personalities in the world.

Mike Tyson has been featured in video games and as a subject of parody or satire.

Mike Tyson became involved in professional wrestling and has made many cameo appearances in film and television.

The film Mike Tyson was released in 1995 and was directed by Uli Edel.

In 2008, the documentary Mike Tyson premiered at the annual Cannes Film Festival in France.

Mike Tyson is the titular character in Mike Tyson Mysteries, which started airing on October 27,2014, on Adult Swim.

In early March 2015, Mike Tyson appeared on the track "Iconic" on Madonna's album Rebel Heart.

Mike Tyson says some lines at the beginning of the song.

In January 2017, Mike Tyson launched his YouTube channel with Shots Studios, a comedy video and comedy music production company with young digital stars like Lele Pons and Rudy Mancuso.

In October 2017, Mike Tyson was announced as the new face of Australian car servicing franchise Ultra Tune.

Mike Tyson has taken over from Jean-Claude van Damme in fronting television commercials for the brand, and the first advert is due to air in January 2018 during the Australian Open.

Since then, Mike Tyson has been involving himself with various other NFT projects including "Iron Pigeons," which is an NFT Trading Card game that launched on October 20,2022.