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Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson Photo Op GalaxyCon Austin 2023.jpg
Tyson in 2023
Statistics
Nickname(s)
  • Iron Mike
  • Kid Dynamite
  • The Baddest Man on the Planet
Rated at Heavyweight
Height 5 ft 10 in
Reach 71 in
Born (1966-06-30) June 30, 1966 (age 57)
Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights 58
Wins 50
Wins by KO 44
Losses 6
No contests 2
Medal record
Men's amateur boxing
National Junior Olympics
Gold 1981 North Carolina Heavyweight
Gold 1982 Tennessee Heavyweight
Golden Gloves
Gold 1984 New York Heavyweight

Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "the Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson is regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.

Early life

Michael Gerard Tyson was born in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, New York City, on June 30, 1966. He has an older brother named Rodney (born c. 1961) and had an older sister named Denise, who died at age 24 in February 1990. Tyson's father abandoned the 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 Tyson was 10 years old. Throughout his childhood, Tyson was repeatedly caught committing petty crimes and fighting those who ridiculed his high-pitched voice and lisp. By the age of 13, he had been arrested 38 times. He ended up at the Tryon School for Boys in Johnstown, New York. Tyson's emerging boxing ability was discovered there by Bobby Stewart, a juvenile detention center counselor and former boxer. Stewart considered Tyson to be an outstanding fighter and trained him for a few months before introducing him to boxing manager and trainer Cus D'Amato. Tyson dropped out of high school as a junior. He was later awarded an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Central State University in 1989. Kevin Rooney also trained Tyson, and he was occasionally assisted by Teddy Atlas, although Atlas was dismissed by D'Amato when Tyson was 15. Rooney eventually took over all training duties for the young fighter.

Tyson's mother died when he was 16, leaving him in the care of D'Amato, who would become his legal guardian. Tyson later said, "I never saw my mother happy with me and proud of me for doing something: she only knew me as being a wild kid running the streets, coming home with new clothes that she knew I didn't pay for. I never got a chance to talk to her or know about her. Professionally, it has no effect, but it's crushing emotionally and personally."

Amateur career

As an amateur, Tyson won gold medals at the 1981 and 1982 Junior Olympic Games, defeating Joe Cortez in 1981 and beating Kelton Brown in 1982. Brown's corner threw in the towel in the first round. In 1984 Tyson won the gold medal at the Nation Golden Gloves held in New York, beating Jonathan Littles. He fought Henry Tillman twice as an amateur, losing both bouts by decision. Tillman went on to win heavyweight gold at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Professional career

Tyson made his professional debut as an 18-year-old on March 6, 1985, in Albany, New York. He defeated Hector Mercedes via first-round TKO. He had 15 bouts in his first year as a professional. Fighting frequently, Tyson won 26 of his first 28 fights by KO or TKO; 16 of those came in the first round. The quality of his opponents gradually increased to journeyman fighters and borderline contenders, like James Tillis, David Jaco, Jesse Ferguson, Mitch Green, and Marvis Frazier. His win streak attracted media attention and Tyson was billed as the next great heavyweight champion. D'Amato died in November 1985, relatively early into Tyson's professional career, and some speculate that his death was the catalyst to many of the troubles Tyson was to experience as his life and career progressed.

Tyson's first nationally televised bout took place on February 16, 1986, at Houston Field House in Troy, New York, against journeyman heavyweight Jesse Ferguson, and was carried by ABC Sports. Tyson knocked down Ferguson with an uppercut in the fifth round that broke Ferguson's nose. During the sixth round, Ferguson began to hold and clinch Tyson in an apparent attempt to avoid further punishment. After admonishing Ferguson several times to obey his commands to box, the referee finally stopped the fight near the middle of the sixth round. The fight was initially ruled a win for Tyson by disqualification (DQ) of his opponent. The ruling was "adjusted" to a win by technical knockout (TKO) after Tyson's corner protested that a DQ win would end Tyson's string of knockout victories, and that a knockout would have been the inevitable result.

In July, after recording six more knockout victories, Tyson fought former world title challenger Marvis Frazier in Glens Falls, New York, on another ABC Sports broadcast. Tyson won easily, charging at Frazier at the opening bell and hitting him with two consecutive uppercuts, the second of which knocked Frazier unconscious thirty seconds into the fight.

Tyson reigned as the undisputed 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. He 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. The following year, Tyson became the lineal champion when he knocked out Michael Spinks in 91 seconds of the first round. In 1990, Tyson was knocked out by underdog Buster Douglas in one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.

In 1992, Tyson was sentenced to six years in prison, although he was released on parole after three years. 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. In 2002, Tyson fought for the world heavyweight title, losing by knockout to Lennox Lewis.

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. With a knockout-to-win percentage of 88%, he was ranked 16th on The Ring magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time, and first on ESPN's list of "The Hardest Hitters in Heavyweight History". Sky Sports described him as "perhaps the most ferocious fighter to step into a professional ring".

Legacy

On June 12, 2011, Tyson was inducted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame alongside legendary Mexican champion Julio César Chávez, light welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu, and actor/screenwriter Sylvester Stallone.

In 2013, Tyson was inducted into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame and headlined the induction ceremony. Tyson was inducted into the Southern Nevada Hall of Fame in 2015 along with four other inductees with ties to Southern Nevada.

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.

Life after boxing

Mike Tyson
Tyson in 2006

In an interview with USA Today published on June 3, 2005, Tyson said, "My whole life has been a waste – I've been a failure." He continued: "I just want to escape. I'm really embarrassed with myself and my life. I want to be a missionary. I think I could do that while keeping my dignity without letting people know they chased me out of the country. I want to get this part of my life over as soon as possible. In this country nothing good is going to come of me. People put me so high; I wanted to tear that image down." Tyson began to spend much of his time tending to his 350 pigeons in Paradise Valley, an upscale enclave near Phoenix, Arizona.

Tyson has stayed in the limelight by promoting various websites and companies. In the past Tyson had shunned endorsements, accusing other athletes of putting on a false front to obtain them. 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.

In October 2012, Tyson launched the Mike Tyson Cares Foundation. 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.

In August 2013, Tyson teamed up with Acquinity Sports to form Iron Mike Productions, a boxing promotions company.

In September 2013, Tyson was featured on a six-episode television series on Fox Sports 1 that documented his personal and private life entitled Being: Mike Tyson.

Mike Tyson 2013
Tyson in February 2013

In November 2013, Tyson's Undisputed Truth was published, which appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list. At the Golden Podium Awards Ceremony, Tyson received the Sportel Special Prize for the best autobiography.

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

In February 2018, Tyson attended the international mixed martial arts (MMA) tournament in the Russian city of Chelyabinsk. Tyson said: "As I have travelled all over the country of Russia I have realised that the people are very sensitive and kind. But most Americans do not have any experience of that."

On May 12, 2020, Tyson posted a video on his Instagram of him training again. At the end of the video, Tyson hinted at a return to boxing by saying, "I'm back".

On May 23, 2020, at All Elite Wrestling's Double or Nothing, Tyson helped Cody defeat Lance Archer alongside Jake Roberts and presented him the inaugural AEW TNT Championship. Tyson alongside Henry Cejudo, Rashad Evans, and Vitor Belfort appeared on the May 27 episode of AEW Dynamite facing off against Chris Jericho and his stable The Inner Circle. 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. He was the special guest enforcer on the April 14 episode of Dynamite for a match between Jericho and Dax Harwood of The Pinnacle, a preview of the upcoming Inner Circle vs. Pinnacle match at Blood and Guts.

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

Mike Tyson's Legends Only League

In July 2020, Mike Tyson announced the creation of Mike Tyson's Legends Only League. Tyson formed the league in partnership with Sophie Watts and her company, Eros Innovations. The league provides retired professional athletes the opportunity to compete in their respective sport. On November 28, 2020, Mike Tyson fought Roy Jones Jr. at the Staples Center in the first event produced under Legends Only League. The event received largely positive reviews and was the highest selling PPV event of 2020, which ranks in the Top-10 for PPV purchased events all-time.

Personal life

Gates of boxer Mike Tyson's mansion in Southington, Ohio
The gates of Tyson's mansion in Southington, Ohio, which he purchased and lived in during the 1980s

Tyson resides in Seven Hills, Nevada. He 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.

Tyson married actress Robin Givens on February 7, 1988, at Holy Angels Catholic Church during a traditional ceremony in Chicago. The two officially separating on February 14, 1989.

Tyson and Givens had no children. During their marriage, the couple lived in a mansion in Bernardsville, New Jersey.

Tyson's second marriage was to Monica Turner from April 19, 1997, to January 14, 2003. Turner filed for divorce from Tyson in January 2002. The couple had two children; son Amir and Ramsey who self-identifies as non-binary.

Tyson's four-year-old daughter Exodus died on May 26, 2009.

Eleven days after his daughter's death, 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. They have two children; daughter Milan and son Morocco.

Professional boxing record

Professional record summary
58 fights 50 wins 6 losses
By knockout 44 5
By decision 5 0
By disqualification 1 1
No contests 2
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Age Location Notes
58 Loss 50–6 (2) Kevin McBride RTD 6 (10), 3:00 Jun 11, 2005 38 years, 346 days MCI Center, Washington, D.C., U.S.
57 Loss 50–5 (2) Danny Williams KO 4 (10), 2:51 Jul 30, 2004 38 years, 30 days Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
56 Win 50–4 (2) Clifford Etienne KO 1 (10), 0:49 Feb 22, 2003 36 years, 237 days The Pyramid, Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
55 Loss 49–4 (2) Lennox Lewis KO 8 (12), 2:25 Jun 8, 2002 35 years, 343 days The Pyramid, Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. For WBC, IBF, IBO, and The Ring heavyweight titles
54 Win 49–3 (2) Brian Nielsen RTD 6 (10), 3:00 Oct 13, 2001 35 years, 115 days Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark
53 NC 48–3 (2) Andrew Golota RTD 3 (10), 3:00 Oct 20, 2000 34 years, 112 days The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S. Originally RTD win for Tyson, later ruled NC after he failed a drug test
52 Win 48–3 (1) Lou Savarese TKO 1 (10), 0:38 Jun 24, 2000 33 years, 360 days Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland
51 Win 47–3 (1) Julius Francis TKO 2 (10), 1:03 Jan 29, 2000 33 years, 213 days MEN Arena, Manchester, England
50 NC 46–3 (1) Orlin Norris NC 1 (10), 3:00 Oct 23, 1999 33 years, 115 days MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. Norris unable to continue after a Tyson foul
49 Win 46–3 Francois Botha KO 5 (10), 2:59 Jan 16, 1999 32 years, 200 days MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
48 Loss 45–3 Evander Holyfield DQ 3 (12), 3:00 Jun 28, 1997 30 years, 363 days MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. For WBA heavyweight title;
Tyson disqualified for biting
47 Loss 45–2 Evander Holyfield TKO 11 (12), 0:37 Nov 9, 1996 30 years, 132 days MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. Lost WBA heavyweight title
46 Win 45–1 Bruce Seldon TKO 1 (12), 1:49 Sep 7, 1996 30 years, 69 days MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. Won WBA heavyweight title
45 Win 44–1 Frank Bruno TKO 3 (12), 0:50 Mar 16, 1996 29 years, 260 days MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. Won WBC heavyweight title
44 Win 43–1 Buster Mathis Jr. KO 3 (12), 2:32 Dec 16, 1995 29 years, 169 days CoreStates Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
43 Win 42–1 Peter McNeeley DQ 1 (10), 1:29 Aug 19, 1995 29 years, 50 days MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. McNeeley disqualified after his manager entered the ring
42 Win 41–1 Donovan Ruddock UD 12 Jun 28, 1991 24 years, 363 days The Mirage, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
41 Win 40–1 Donovan Ruddock TKO 7 (12), 2:22 Mar 18, 1991 24 years, 261 days The Mirage, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
40 Win 39–1 Alex Stewart TKO 1 (10), 2:27 Dec 8, 1990 24 years, 161 days Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
39 Win 38–1 Henry Tillman KO 1 (10), 2:47 Jun 16, 1990 23 years, 351 days Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
38 Loss 37–1 Buster Douglas KO 10 (12), 1:22 Feb 11, 1990 23 years, 226 days Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan Lost WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight titles
37 Win 37–0 Carl Williams TKO 1 (12), 1:33 Jul 21, 1989 23 years, 21 days Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. Retained WBA, WBC, IBF, and The Ring heavyweight titles
36 Win 36–0 Frank Bruno TKO 5 (12), 2:55 Feb 25, 1989 22 years, 240 days Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S. Retained WBA, WBC, IBF, and The Ring heavyweight titles
35 Win 35–0 Michael Spinks KO 1 (12), 1:31 Jun 27, 1988 21 years, 363 days Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. Retained WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight titles;
Won The Ring heavyweight title
34 Win 34–0 Tony Tubbs TKO 2 (12), 2:54 Mar 21, 1988 21 years, 265 days Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan Retained WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight titles
33 Win 33–0 Larry Holmes TKO 4 (12), 2:55 Jan 22, 1988 21 years, 186 days Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. Retained WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight titles
32 Win 32–0 Tyrell Biggs TKO 7 (15), 2:59 Oct 16, 1987 21 years, 108 days Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. Retained WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight titles
31 Win 31–0 Tony Tucker UD 12 Aug 1, 1987 21 years, 32 days Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S. Retained WBA and WBC heavyweight titles;
Won IBF heavyweight title;
Heavyweight unification series
30 Win 30–0 Pinklon Thomas TKO 6 (12), 2:00 May 30, 1987 20 years, 334 days Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester Nevada, U.S. Retained WBA and WBC heavyweight titles;
Heavyweight unification series
29 Win 29–0 James Smith UD 12 Mar 7, 1987 20 years, 250 days Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S. Retained WBC heavyweight title;
Won WBA heavyweight title;
Heavyweight unification series
28 Win 28–0 Trevor Berbick TKO 2 (12), 2:35 Nov 22, 1986 20 years, 145 days Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S. Won WBC heavyweight title
27 Win 27–0 Alfonso Ratliff TKO 2 (10), 1:41 September 6, 1986 20 years, 68 days Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.
26 Win 26–0 José Ribalta TKO 10 (10), 1:37 August 17, 1986 20 years, 48 days Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
25 Win 25–0 Marvis Frazier KO 1 (10), 0:30 Jul 26, 1986 20 years, 26 days Civic Center, Glens Falls, New York, U.S.
24 Win 24–0 Lorenzo Boyd KO 2 (10), 1:43 July 11, 1986 20 years, 11 days Stevensville Hotel, Swan Lake, New York, U.S.
23 Win 23–0 William Hosea KO 1 (10), 2:03 June 28, 1986 19 years, 363 days Houston Field House, Troy, New York, U.S.
22 Win 22–0 Reggie Gross TKO 1 (10), 2:36 June 13, 1986 19 years, 348 days Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
21 Win 21–0 Mitch Green UD 10 May 20, 1986 19 years, 324 days Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
20 Win 20–0 James Tillis UD 10 May 3, 1986 19 years, 307 days Civic Center, Glens Falls, New York, U.S.
19 Win 19–0 Steve Zouski KO 3 (10), 2:39 March 10, 1986 19 years, 253 days Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, U.S.
18 Win 18–0 Jesse Ferguson TKO 6 (10), 1:19 February 16, 1986 19 years, 231 days Houston Field House, Troy, New York, U.S. Originally DQ win for Tyson, later ruled TKO
17 Win 17–0 Mike Jameson TKO 5 (8), 0:46 January 24, 1986 19 years, 208 days Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
16 Win 16–0 David Jaco TKO 1 (10), 2:16 January 11, 1986 19 years, 195 days Plaza Convention Center, Albany, New York, U.S.
15 Win 15–0 Mark Young TKO 1 (10), 0:50 December 27, 1985 19 years, 180 days Latham Coliseum, Latham, New York, U.S.
14 Win 14–0 Sammy Scaff TKO 1 (10), 1:19 December 6, 1985 19 years, 159 days Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
13 Win 13–0 Conroy Nelson TKO 2 (8), 0:30 November 22, 1985 19 years, 145 days Latham Coliseum, Latham, New York, U.S.
12 Win 12–0 Eddie Richardson KO 1 (8), 1:17 November 13, 1985 19 years, 136 days Ramada Hotel, Houston, Texas, U.S.
11 Win 11–0 Sterling Benjamin TKO 1 (8), 0:54 November 1, 1985 19 years, 124 days Latham Coliseum, Latham, New York, U.S.
10 Win 10–0 Robert Colay KO 1 (8), 0:37 October 25, 1985 19 years, 117 days Atlantis Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
9 Win 9–0 Donnie Long TKO 1 (6), 1:28 October 9, 1985 19 years, 101 days Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
8 Win 8–0 Michael Johnson KO 1 (6), 0:39 September 5, 1985 19 years, 67 days Atlantis Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
7 Win 7–0 Lorenzo Canady KO 1 (6), 1:05 August 15, 1985 19 years, 46 days Steel Pier, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
6 Win 6–0 Larry Sims KO 3 (6), 2:04 July 19, 1985 19 years, 19 days Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie, New York, U.S.
5 Win 5–0 John Alderson TKO 2 (6), 3:00 July 11, 1985 19 years, 11 days Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
4 Win 4–0 Ricardo Spain TKO 1 (6), 0:39 June 20, 1985 18 years, 355 days Steel Pier, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
3 Win 3–0 Don Halpin KO 4 (6), 1:04 May 23, 1985 18 years, 327 days Albany, New York, U.S.
2 Win 2–0 Trent Singleton TKO 1 (4), 0:52 April 10, 1985 18 years, 284 days Albany, New York, U.S.
1 Win 1–0 Hector Mercedes TKO 1 (4), 1:47 March 6, 1985 18 years, 249 days Plaza Convention Center, Albany, New York, U.S.

Exhibition boxing record

Professional record summary
1 fight 0 wins 0 losses
Draws 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
4 Draw 0–0–1 (3) Roy Jones Jr. SD 8 Nov 28, 2020 Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, U.S. Scored by the WBC
3 N/A 0–0 (3) Corey Sanders N/A 4 October 20, 2006 Chevrolet Centre, Youngstown, Ohio, U.S. Non-scored bout
2 N/A 0–0 (2) James Tillis N/A 4 November 12, 1987 DePaul University Alumni Hall, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. Non-scored bout
1 N/A 0–0 (1) Anthony Davis N/A 1 July 4, 1986 Liberty State Park, Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. Non-scored bout

Pay-per-view bouts

Boxing

PPV home television

United States
No. Date Fight Billing Buys Network
1
June 27, 1988
Tyson vs. Spinks Once and For All
700,000
King Vision
2
March 18, 1991
Tyson vs. Ruddock The Fight of the Year
960,000
King Vision
3
June 28, 1991
Tyson vs. Ruddock II The Rematch
1,250,000
King Vision
4
August 19, 1995
Tyson vs. McNeeley He's Back
1,600,000
Showtime/King Vision
5
March 16, 1996
Tyson vs. Bruno II The Championship Part I
1,400,000
Showtime/King Vision
6
September 7, 1996
Tyson vs. Seldon Liberation: Champion vs. Champion
1,150,000
Showtime/King Vision
7
November 9, 1996
Tyson vs. Holyfield Finally
1,600,000
Showtime/King Vision
8
June 28, 1997
Tyson vs. Holyfield II The Sound and the Fury
1,990,000
Showtime/King Vision
9
Jan 16, 1999
Tyson vs. Botha Tyson-Botha
750,000
Showtime
10
October 20, 2000
Tyson vs. Golota Showdown in Motown
450,000
Showtime
11
June 8, 2002
Lewis vs. Tyson Lewis–Tyson Is On
1,970,000
HBO/Showtime
12
February 22, 2003
Tyson vs. Etienne Back to Business
100,000
Showtime
13
July 30, 2004
Tyson vs. Williams Return for Revenge
150,000
Showtime
14
June 11, 2005
Tyson vs. McBride Tyson-McBride
250,000
Showtime
15 November 28, 2020 Tyson vs. Jones Jr. Lockdown Knockdown 0Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character ","..Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character ",".1,600,000 Triller
Total sales 15,920,000
United Kingdom
Date Fight Network Buys Source(s)
March 16, 1996 Frank Bruno vs. Mike Tyson II Sky Box Office 600,000
June 28, 1997 Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson II Sky Box Office 550,000
January 29, 2000 Mike Tyson vs. Julius Francis Sky Box Office 500,000
June 8, 2002 Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson Sky Box Office 750,000
Total sales 2,400,000

Closed-circuit theatre TV

Select pay-per-view boxing buy rates at American closed-circuit theatre television venues:

Date Fight Buys Revenue Revenue (inflation)
June 27, 1988 Mike Tyson vs. Michael Spinks 0Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character ","..Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character ",".800,000 $32,000,000 $79,180,000
June 28, 1997 Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson II 0Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character ","..Expression error: Unrecognized punctuation character ",".120,000 $9,000,000 $16,410,000
Total sales 920,000 $41,000,000 $79,930,000

Professional wrestling

World Wrestling Federation

Date Event Venue Location Buys Ref
March 29, 1998 WrestleMania XIV FleetCenter Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. 730,000

All Elite Wrestling

Date Event Venue Location Buys Ref
May 23, 2020 Double or Nothing Daily's Place
TIAA Bank Field
Jacksonville, Florida 115,000–120,000

Awards and honors

Humane letters

The Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, in 1989 awarded Tyson an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters: "Mike demonstrates that hard work, determination and perseverance can enable one to overcome any obstacles."

Boxing

  • Ring magazine Prospect of the Year (1985)
  • Ring magazine Fighter of the Year (1986, 1988)
  • 2× Sugar Ray Robinson Award winner (1987, 1989)
  • BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality (1989)
  • International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee (Class of 2011)
  • "Guirlande d'Honneur" by the FICTS (Milan, 2010)

Professional wrestling

  • WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2012)
  • Pro Wrestling Illustrated
    • Faction of the Year (2021) – with The Inner Circle

Images for kids


See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Mike Tyson para niños

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