Mike Tyson fought his first professional fight in May of 1985. The result was a sign of things to come as Tyson scored a first round knockout. 12 of Tyson's first 16 fights would end in the first round with Tyson as the victor. Who was Tyson's very first professional oppponent?
Tyson's fight schedule was a carefully orchestrated plan put together by his manager Cus D'Amato. In his book, "Fire and Fear: The Inside Story of Mike Tyson", former boxer Jose Torres describes the importance of D'Amato's relationship with Tyson as both a manager and a father figure. When D'Amato passed away a few months after Tyson's first fight, the negative impact on Tyson was obvious.
On July 26, 1986 Mike Tyson had compiled a record of 24-0. On this day he faced off against another fighter who was the son of a very famous former heavyweight champion. The result was a devastating first round knockout by Tyson. The fighter who was on the receiving end of this brutal defeat was the son of what former heavyweight great?
Marvis Frazier, the son of Joe Frazier, was knocked out 30 seconds into the first round, the fastest knockout of Mike Tyson's career. The fight, which took place in Glen Falls, New York, was officiated by Joe Cortez. Frazier's record going into the fight was 16-1. He only fought three more times after the Tyson fight before retiring.
On November 22, 1986 Mike Tyson received the opportunity to fight for the WBC version of the heavyweight title. Referee Mills Lane stopped the fight in the second round after Tyson had knocked his opponent down for the second time. Can you name Tyson's opponent for this championship fight?
It was obvious that Berbick was outmatched from the beginning of the fight. Trevor Berbick is only one of two fighters in history to fight both Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson in a professional fight. With this victory, Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in history. Tragically Berbick was murdered in 2006.
On January 22, 1988 boxing fans saw Mike Tyson step into the ring with this former heavyweight champion. It was the past vs the future of boxing in Atlantic City on this night. There was a 17-year difference between the two fighters. The outcome was fairly predictable. Give the name of Tyson's opponent for this particular bout.
Holmes had been fairly critical of Tyson's behavior prior to the fight. After being knocked down for the third time in the fourth round, referee Joe Cortez stopped the fight. It was the first time in Larry Holmes' career that he had ever been knocked out. This was not the end of Holmes' fighting days as he would resume his boxing career in 1991.
Tyson's career began to be interrupted by a number of events in his personal life, including his marriage and subsequent divorce to this American actress. They had a much publicized interview with Barbara Walters in which she discussed Tyson's violent nature. Who was this woman who Tyson was briefly married to?
Their marriage was the constant subject of the tabloids. Tyson would later blame Givens' mother for her financial greed as motivation for interfering in their marriage. Givens starred in the movies "Boomerang" in 1992 with Eddie Murphy as well as appearances on the television shows "The Cosby Show" and "Chuck".
On February 25, 1989 Mike Tyson took on this British fighter who was the number one ranked contender in the world. The fight was Tyson's first fight in over eight months. At the time, it was the longest layoff of his career. The result, however, was the same. Tyson scored a fifth round knockout against this fighter. Who was the fighter?
Taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada, there was speculation that many of the events in Tyson's life might distract him from performing well in the fight. Richard Steele stopped the fight in the fifth round when it was obvious that Bruno could not defend himself. Tyson and Bruno would meet again in 1996 with Tyson stopping Bruno in the third round.
All good things must come to an end. For Tyson, his career came crashing down on February 11, 1990 in Tokyo, Japan. Few boxing fans gave his opponent a legitimate chance of beating Tyson. The shocking result saw Tyson being knocked out in the 10th round. What fighter pulled off this major upset?
Tyson actually knocked Douglas down in the eighth round with a brutal uppercut. Douglas barely beat the count and survived the round. Many consider this to be one of the greatest upsets in all of boxing. James "Buster" Douglas' reign as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world would be brief. He would be knocked out in the first defense of his title by Evander Holyfield.
There is only one fighter who has defeated Mike Tyson on two different occasions. In one of their bouts, Tyson grew so frustrated with his inability to succeed that he actually bit off a chunk of this man's ear! Who is this fighter that frustrated Mike Tyson so much?
Their first meeting took place on November 09, 1996 which Holyfield won on a TKO in the 11th round. There were a number of attempts to get the two of them in the ring prior to this, but those plans were befuddled due to injuries and Tyson's imprisonment. Their second match took place on June 28, 1997 when the infamous ear-biting incident took place. Tyson was disqualified in the 3rd round. Holyfield remains the only fighter to defeat Mike Tyson twice.
Like so many other great heavyweights, Mike Tyson continued to fight when he was well past his prime. His last shot at the heavyweight championship came on June 6, 2002. The fight was not close as Tyson was knocked out in the 8th round. Who was Tyson's opponent this night?
The most exciting event for the Tyson-Lewis fight actually occurred on January 22, 2002 at the press conference in New York City where a brawl broke out between Tyson and Lewis. The actual title fight itself was held in Memphis, Tennessee. The referee was Eddie Cotton.
Mike Tyson fought a number of other heavyweight champions during his lengthy boxing career. He was known for taking on all-comers. Which one of the following heavyweights did Mike Tyson NOT ever fight?
Tyson fought and defeated Tony Tucker (unanimous decision), Bruce Seldon (knockout) and Pinklon Thomas (knockout). Although he did knockout Michael Spinks on June 27, 1988, Tyson never fought Michael's brother Leon Spinks. Leon Spinks briefly held the heavyweight title in 1978.