Author: quyen1

Few moments in boxing history have left a mark like the night the invincible fell. Titans clashed, wills battled, and a verdict still echoes in boxing. What happened on that night in Tokyo, Japan? Mike Tyson, the undisputed champion, faces the unassuming. The result was a loss, a shock, a controversy. Moreover, debates and emotions still stir among Tyson’s fandom. It’s the story that turned Tyson’s life upside down.

It was in 1990 that set the stage. Tyson was all geared up to win again. However, the ordinary turned extraordinary. A routine title defense ended in a loss. Mike Tyson met Buster Douglas on February 11, 1990. It was supposed to be easy. But Douglas fought back and knocked Tyson out in the tenth round. This fight lives up to its moniker as the biggest upset in the history of boxing. In a recent video making circles on the Internet, fans discuss this bout.

The loss that shaped Mike Tyson into ‘Iron Mike’

Even three decades later, the loss is still talked about. Recently, a video posted on Facebook by Matt Martin shows the glimpse of this iconic bout. Furthermore, the fight between Mike Tyson and Buster Douglas has elicited various reactions from fans. As we take a look into the reactions, they appear as polarized opinions about the bout.

Starting the conversation, we have Chris Cooper, who believes that Tyson was unjustly defeated, stating, “Tyson got robbed of that fight had Douglas down game 15 seconds.”

Next, this sentiment is echoed by Collis Cooper, who emphasizes that “People forget Tyson knocked him down but got a slow count.” On the other hand, Mustanser Hussain offers a philosophical perspective, asserting, “Success is not achieved by winning all the time. Real success comes when we rise after we fall. Mike Tyson.”

Meanwhile, Paolo Giacomelli praises Tyson’s ability to capitalize on opportunities, noting (as translated from Facebook), “Tyson knew how to cash in and for a boxer he’s 100 points ahead… some take 2 fists and give 1000 but the third they fall.”

Then, Mike Matta succinctly sums up Tyson’s legacy, declaring, “One of the best boxers ever.”

The story of Tyson’s loss is a saga. It shows the unpredictability of sports. The controversy and debates continue till date.

Mike Tyson’s former trainer has made the bombshell accusation that the heavyweight boxing legend got the infamous tribal tattoo on his face to avoid fighting late in his career.

Tyson, 53, is regarded as one of the greatest heavyweights in the history of boxing.

He became the first heavyweight to hold the WBA, WBC and IBF belts and later became the lineal champion.

Late in his career, after he was stopped by Lennox Lewis in 2002, Tyson was scheduled to fight compatriot Clifford Etienne in February 2003. However, just days before the fight he decided to get the tribal tattoo in Las Vegas and, shortly after, he pulled out of the fight.

And his former trainer, Jeff Fenech, has admitted that he was stunned when Tyson skipped training to get the tattoo, as well as bitterly disappointed that the former champion then decided to withdraw from the fight.

“My first impression was that I’ve never had a tattoo in my life, but I thought we are fighting in a week and when you get a tattoo you can’t fight because t hey scab up and it wouldn’t be healthy to do that,” Fenech told Fox Sports.

“We sat down and spoke and he didn’t really want to fight and he wasn’t prepared to and that was one of the reasons he got the tattoo.

“After a good hour talk I was in tears when I left the house that night. I went and stayed in a hotel because I was pretty despondent.

“I was away from home for eight weeks in Vegas getting him ready for the fight and I stayed in a hotel and got on the first flight back to my family because that was my priority.”

The fight was quickly rescheduled for the following week and Tyson won via knockout in the first round. However, Fenech was not present to coach him to victory.

“A week later he fought and knocked out Clifford in one round and I was upset,” the trainer added.

“I was happy for Mike that he won, but I was also upset that I had trained him for eight weeks and I wasn’t a part of that win.”

Tyson would fight twice more in his professional boxing career, losing to Great Britain’s Danny Williams and Ireland’s Kevin McBride

Mike Tyson was a bad man back in the day. He was generally referred to as “the baddest man on the planet” for much of his career, because he was so devastating with his fists. There was just something about the power and ferocity he brought to the ring that made him a must-see for even the most casual of boxing fans. During his career, Mike fought in 58 fights, winning 50 of them. Many of his wins were first round knockouts. For his efforts Mike earned over $400 million.

By comparison, Floyd Mayweather recently earned close to $250 million for ONE FIGHT against Manny Pacquiao. That’s $250 million for a fight that was widely criticized as a being dull and a complete waste of money. There was never dull moment in anything Mike Tyson did, in and out of the ring.

That was not Mayweather’s first $100 million payday. In fact, Floyd’s career earnings to date sit at $630 million. Floyd may may be the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, and the highest paid athlete on the planet, but, if we’re being totally honest, his fights have never been all that exciting. He’s usually far superior to his opponents, almost laughably so.

So, if Mayweather can earn what he does per fight today as a relatively boring fighter, imagine what someone as talented and exciting as Mike Tyson could make if he was fighting in his prime right now instead of 25 years ago!!!

Mike Tyson’s Biggest Paychecks

For his fight with Michael Spinks back in 1988, Tyson made a whopping $20 million. Back then, it was considered a monster payday, but if you were to take the credentials of those two and promote the same fight in today’s market, the pay-per-views would be through the roof.

In Tyson, you had the undefeated power punch that everyone wanted to see knock someone out. Spinks, who had boxing in his blood (brother Leon and Uncle Cory were both former champions), was also undefeated, and was the first reigning light-heavyweight champion to win the heavyweight title. So the man was no joke.

Tyson topped that payday almost a decade later with his purse for the rematch with Evander Holyfield; Holyfield won the first with a TKO in the 11th round. Tyson was paid $30 million and Holyfield $35 million for a three round fight that infamously ended with Tyson biting off a chunk of Holyfield’s ear.

At the time, those were the biggest purses ever paid out in boxing history (and would remain so until 2007).

If Mike Was Fighting Today

Yes – Iron Mike Tyson had some great fights back in the day, but even when adjusted for inflation, the paydays were nothing like many of Floyd Mayweather’s. In today’s dollars, Mike essentially earned $44.4 million for his rematch with Holyfield, a purse that pales in comparison to what Pacquiao earned losing to Mayweather.

So – would he have banked some serious cash if he was fighting today, relative to twenty years ago? Absolutely. Tyson owns four of the top seven pay-per-view fights in boxing history (Mayweather has top three). He ranks fourth on the list of all-time pay per view buys with 12.4 million ($545 million in revenue). Mayweather comes in first at 14 million buys and $943 million. If you get creative with the math and value Tyson’s pay-per-views at the same rate as Mayweather’s, Iron Mike’s would be worth an additional $290 million.

Factor in the lack of quality, marketable fighters today and a guy like Mike Tyson would likely be worth even more.

What’s truly remarkable about Mike Tyson is that despite fighting for way less than Mayweather does today, he still managed to earn $400 million (and subsequently blow through it all). If Mike was in his prime right now making mincemeat of guys like Floyd Mayweather, the math says that he would theoretically be making $300 – $400 million per fight. If he had a fight like that once every three years, within a decade he would gross roughly $1 billion. That’s enough to make Floyd “Money” Mayweather look more like Floyd “Hobo” Mayweather.

Mike Tyson admits he wouldn’t have won a fight against Muhammad Ali – a view endorsed by the late heavyweight champion’s son, who did say his famous father would have had a battle to beat martial arts legend Bruce Lee.

Tyson beat Ali in a eWBSS Heavyweight Legends simulation tournament run late last week by the World Boxing Super Series, but Iron Mike admitted he would only have beaten Ali in a fantasy bout.

“I wouldn’t win the real fight. Ali’s the greatest there’s ever been,” he said.

Ali’s eldest son, Muhammad Ali Jr, has also claimed in a soon-to-be-published book that his father would have “kicked [Tyson’s] butt”.

“Everybody says Mike Tyson would have kicked my father’s butt. I said no,” Ali Jr said in a chapter of Muhammad Ali: The Life of a Legend, authored by British journalist Fiaz Rafiq.

“Tyson can’t go the distance. He couldn’t go fifteen rounds.

“He’s not a boxer. He’s a street fighter. He’s a knockout artist. He can never hold up to my father!”

Ali Jr’s comments from Rafiq’s book were published in The Sun newspaper.

He said his dad would have had “a good fight” against Bruce Lee, who was “like the Muhammad Ali of karate”.

In the eWBSS Heavyweight Legends tournament, Tyson beat Ali in a unanimous points decision (114-111).

Ali knocked Tyson down in the first round, but Tyson decked Ali with right hooks in the second and fifth rounds.

In the semifinals, Tyson eliminated George Foreman in the fourth round, while Ali took care of Sonny Liston in the fifth.

In his prime, Mike Tyson was arguably the most famous sportsman on the planet, as he transcended the world of boxing.

During his illustrious career, it is believed the former world champion earned more than $400million (£320m), as he became the biggest – and most controversial – fighter of his generation.

But since his retirement he has filed for bankruptcy, admitting he now has “no money”.

Tyson won his first heavyweight world title in 1985, demolishing Trevor Berbick. For that he earned $1.5m. He continued to earn similar purses until 1988, where he beat Larry Holmes earning $5m.

Just two months later, he doubled his highest purse when he beat Tony Tubbs in Japan.

It was the fight against Michael Spinks, one where he earned $20m, where he announced himself as one of the highest-paid sportsmen on the planet.

His earnings then dropped significantly – picking up around $7m for beating Brit hero Frank Bruno for the first time.

He was paid around $6m for his stunning defeat by Buster Douglas which stopped him earning a fortune against Evander Holyfield.

After his pair of fights with Donovan Ruddock, Tyson was sentenced to prison for rape – but his release would signify the richest period of his career.

His comeback fight, a first-round knockout of Peter McNeely in 1995, saw him earn a stunning $25m. Those sensational purses would only increase, with his next four fights, seeing him bank around $120m in total.

The final of those four, was the infamous rematch with Holyfield, where Tyson was found guilty of biting his opponent – and subsequently banned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

But it was during this time that ‘Iron Mike’s’ spending was truly out of control. According to reports, during the 33-month spell after his release, he spent $4.5m on cars, $100,000 per month on clothes and $400,000 on animals like pigeons and Siberian tigers. He would also spent $125,000 a year on training his animals, while a staggering $240,000 was reserved for ‘walking around money’.

He also purchased a 21 bedroom-mansion in Connecticut, with an on-site casino and nightclub.

After fighting Frans Botha, Tyson’s career was ended with successive defeats to Lennox Lewis and then Kevin McBridge, with his final fight seeing him earn $5m in 2005.

However, despite those massive earnings, in 2003, Tyson filed for bankruptcy, admitting he had spent his money quicker than it was coming in.

“My whole life has been a waste – I’ve been a failure,” he said.

“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.”

More recently, however, Tyson has turned his life around; taking his one-man Broadway show on a tour of America before branching out into the cannabis trade with his own farm.

The fight with the legendary Jones Jr on November 28, is set to be a Box Office spinner but – as if to show his transformation – he will be donating his entire purse to charity.

“It’s going to be for various charities,” he told TMZ Sports.

“Nobody has to ever worry about me getting rich, or getting jealous, or saying I’m doing [the comeback] for money.

“I’m not getting anything. I just feel good doing this because I can.”

Tyson has found a new peace in religion and claimed he is more content now he doesn’t have millions of dollars in his bank.

“I’m happy I don’t have money anymore, I don’t have any money,” he said in July.

“‘Cause no one can take anything from me anymore. There are no vultures. Nobody out there trying to take anything from me. So I’m just happy.”

Mike Tyson started to rack up his fortune from an early age after he was crowned the heavyweight champion of the world at just 20 years old.

His biggest boxing payday came when he took on bitter rival Lennox Lewis – which saw him rake him in more than £28million.

Lewis knocked out the American hardman in the eighth round to retain his WBC, IBF and IBO titles.

And Tyson matched that huge payday for his historic win over Bruce Seldon in 1996.

The American dominated from the off before the referee dived in to call the fight off after less than two minutes.

 

 

As a result, the Baddest Man of Planet banked £28.4million without even breaking a sweat.

And he earned in excess of £20million for several fights including his bouts against Evander Holyfield and his win over Frank Bruno.
MONEY MIKE
But Iron Mike – who served three years in prison after being convicted of rape in 1992 – ended up losing his fortune.

He was declared bankrupt in 2003 with reported debts of around £17million against his name.

Tyson was forced to sell his incredible 52-room mansion with two pools and a nightclub to rapper 50 Cent.

And he had no choice but to sell his £890,000 Ohio Mansion – which has now been converted into a church.

As of 2020, it is reported that his net worth sits at just $3million (£2.4m).

 

 

The 53-year-old is now back in the spotlight as he prepares for his boxing comeback after 15 years out of action.

He has been bombarded with fight offers after insisting he will dust off his gloves for a four-round exhibition bout.

The reformed Baddest Man on the Planet has been offered £16.2million to make his return in a bare knuckle boxing fight.

And the heavyweight icon has been offered £1million to lock horns with rugby star Sonny Bill Williams in the ring.

Mike Tyson is one of the most intimidating boxers of all time and there wasn’t a fight in his career where he was afraid of his opponents. However, according to Triller CEO Ryan Kavanaugh Tyson was so scared of Evander Holyfield that he refused to step inside the ring with him for the trilogy fight. Mike Tyson fought against Roy Jones Jr. and earned $1,000,000 for his boxing return. Thus, another fight against the man who beat him twice would have a huge payout.

Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield produced two very memorable fights for their fans. Despite losing out to Holyfield twice, Tyson made quite a spectacle out of both the fight.

To many the results of both fights might have been a shock. Some fans even debated that if Holyfield would have faced Tyson in his prime then the results would have been different. This is why a trilogy would have made sense even after all these years. However, it did not come to fruition, and rumors emerged of Tyson being afraid.

 

 

Is Mike Tyson afraid to accept the Evander Holyfield trilogy fight?

Short video content platform Triller’s CEO Ryan Kavanaugh revealed in an interview with Sky Sports that he was aware of the potential Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson rematch after retirement. Tyson had already fought J ones Jr in the previous year, and Kavanaugh claimed that Tyson is ‘afraid’ to square off against Holyfield for their trilogy fight.

Kavanaugh said, “We have been told that he is scared to fight Evander. There has been back and forth hoopla, there is a massive payday ready for Mike to fight on Thanksgiving. A massive payday, one of his biggest. But we can’t seem to push it along. Now I have heard, from a number of reliable sources, that Mike is too scared. He thinks Evander would knock him out.“

These comments suggest that Mike Tyson was not too keen on fighting Holyfield. However, it is not because they both are still on bad terms. Tyson and Holyfield have made amends for their fierce rivalry. Once, Tyson who took a chunk out of Holyfield’s ear, is now on good terms with him and even a business partner. What’s more, Tyson was willing to give the credit to Holyfield for his victories over himself, something which he dreaded to do over the years.

 

 

Tyson stands up for Holyfield

Mike Tyson sat down for an interview with the GQ Sports YouTube channel. During, the interview, ‘Baddest man on the planet’ replied to fan comments about the Holyfield fight. One of the fans claimed that Holyfield would have lost if he fought Mike Tyson in his prime. Tyson was not willing to accept this notion and spoke about what he felt.

Tyson said, “Hey I don’t know, we can’t take that stuff away from Evander Holyfield. He won that fight. He had the nerve to get in the ring, he had to take that chance. So regardless, I think that he is a great fighter, and he deserves the claim of being a legendary great fighter too.“

The former heavyweight champion of the world has changed a lot post-retirement. He has let go of his violent past and now became a family man. What’s more he has even made amends with some of his past mistakes and grudges.

Mike Tyson is regarded as one of the most devastating punchers in boxing history, and “Iron” claims that Tyson Fury is going to be surprised by how much power Francis Ngannou has when the two men square off in the ring.

The legendary former heavyweight boxing champion has been working with Ngannou to prepare him for his boxing debut opposite Fury, which is scheduled to take place on October 28 in Saudi Arabia.

Plenty of current and former fighters have already weighed in on the former UFC champion’s chances to upset Fury, but Mike Tyson recently appeared on The Jim Rome Show and cited Ngannou’s tremendous power as being a serious threat in the matchup.

“Listen, this guy punches like God knows who man,” Tyson said. “He’s an athlete, he moves quicker, works with his speed. And listen man, he only has to land one or two. Tyson’s never been in the ring with a guy that can punch this hard…I think this guy punches harder than anybody he’s ever fought.”

Fury is no stranger to facing power punchers considering he shared the ring with Deontay Wilder on three occasions, but Ngannou’s ability to end things with just one shot is what made the Cameroonian such a force during his time with the UFC.

“The Predator” is just over two months away from achieving his lifelong dream of stepping into the boxing ring, and regardless of the outcome against Fury, the former UFC champion will continue to dominate combat sports headlines when he begins preparing for his highly-anticipated PFL debut next year.

Former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson did not share the best relationship with his former promoter, Don King. The duo shared a relationship that is best described as tumultuous, to say the least. Meanwhile, the former champ recently took a swipe at King with his latest social media post.

Tyson shared an old photograph of King and himself on Instagram. Moreover, he wrote in the captions, “The best revenge is massive success.”

Notably, the post came from his recent podcast with Steve-O. The Jackass star was a guest at the recent episode of ‘Hotboxin with Mike Tyson‘. Additionally, DJ Whoo Kidd was also present as the co-host for the episode.

 

 

In conversation, Steve-O revealed what he told Tyson at the Charlie Sheen roast. He said, “Mike, I know what it’s like to, with your relationship with Don King. You know, I know what it’s like to really put your body in harm’s way, to risk your life, to pour everything you got. Just so some motherf*cking a**hole can take all the money.”

Steve-O then asked Tyson if what he said was accurate. To this, Tyson replied saying, “Oh you got a lot more to go.”

Moreover, Tyson also added that the best revenge he extracted from King was through his massive success.

 

 

When Mike Tyson attacked Don King

Don King started promoting Mike Tyson’s fights in 1986. However, by 1988 King had completely separated Tyson from his previous management team.

The duo took part in multiple high-profile bouts over the next decade, earning them both loads of money. But things were not always a bed of roses in this idealistic ‘fool’s paradise’.

Their relationship was very turbulent. In 1988, Tyson sued King for USD 100 million, stating that the promoter had cheated him off millions. Even though, Tyson won USD 14 million, he attacked King during a car journey in Miami. It was reported that Tyson kicked King’s driver in the back of the head and also hit King, who was seated in the front. In fact, he also KO’d King’s bodyguard in a drug-fueled rage.

On August 27, the former undisputed world champion is promoting the first ever Weed Boxing Championship. The event is scheduled to go down on the island of Koh Samui in Thailand and it is exactly what you think it is.

Emanating from Samui International Muay Thai Stadium, athletes will compete in three three-minute rounds, but only before they get higher than a bat’s ass with some premium kush provided by cannabis aficionado Mike Tyson. Spectators are also encouraged to partake in their preferred strain with plenty of drinks and food to go around once everyone starts to get the munchies.

Mike Tyson Wishes He Had Used Marijuana While Competing

The event looks to take advantage of Thailand’s bustling weed tourism after the Southeast Asian country decriminalized the plant in June 2022. Almost overnight, dispenceries popped up and events across the country have taken advantage.

Of course, Thailand is already known for it’s steep history in the art of eight limbs, Muay Thai, but this will be the first time that two worlds are fused together in a spectacle unlike any other.

Sadly, Mike Tyson will not be participating in the event, aside from potentially toking up with some of the event’s competitors.

“Cannabis is good to workout on for me. I just wish I was smoking back when I was fighting — I really lost out there from an athlete’s perspective,” the sports icon said in an interview with Muscle and Health magazine. “If I’d smoked during my boxing career, I probably wouldn’t have been so aggressive.”

If only he had known then what he knows now, perhaps Evander Holyfield’s ear could have been saved.