The world has never seen a more fearsome fighter than Mike Tyson. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Iron Mike still holds the record of being the youngest heavyweight champion in history. In his prime, Iron Mike was a terrifying force of nature. Most of his opponents were losing the fight even before entering the ring to face him.
The life of a superstar didn’t allow Tyson to keep his heavyweight crown for a more significant amount of time as he spent time in prison, too. He lost three of his last four fights before eventually retiring in 2005. But his legacy still lives on. The fans will always remember Iron Mike as one of the most entertaining boxers in history.
The youngest heavyweight champion ever!
In November 1986, Mike Tyson rewrote boxing history as he became the youngest heavyweight champion. Iron Mike faced Trevor Berbick in Las Vegas and won the WBC belt with an impressive TKO win in the second round. It was his 28th win from 28 fights. Tyson was just 20 years, 145 days old on this day. In his next contest, he secured the WBA title and won against James Smith.
Trouble with law and jail time
In his prime, Mike Tyson was the scariest man the boxing world has ever seen. It took a lot of courage to get in the ring with him. He had to fight some personal demons, though.
In 1992 Iron Mike was convicted of rape and sentenced to spend six years in jail. He was released three years later and immediately got back to boxing. Tyson even became a world champion again as he won the WBC & WBA belts. His downfall began in the two fights against Evander Holyfield that he lost. In the second one, he was even disqualified after he bit a part of Holyfield’s ear.
The last fight
Mike Tyson’s last fight happened in 2005 when he suffered a shock defeat against Irish journeyman Kevin McBride. After the fight, Iron Mike announced his retirement from boxing. Tyson came back for an exhibition fight against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020, which was scored as a draw.
Money problems and three marriages
Today Mike Tyson’s net worth is just around $3 million. As a boxing star, he won a lot of money in his career, but he also lacked solid financial discipline. At some point, his net worth was over $300 million, but he lost almost everything because of bad decisions and a lavish lifestyle.
At least Iron Mike feels happy in his personal life. He’s currently living with his third wife, Lakiha Spicer. Tyson admitted he could have been already dead without his partner in one of his interviews.
His son Miguel Leon Tyson wanted to be a boxer like his dad, but he was advised by Tyson to “find a real job.” In 2021 Iron Mike posted a video that shows him training with Miguel Leon. You can see that his son is doing well with the gloves. It remains to be seen if he’s ever going to step in the ring.
He’s a podcaster now
The Baddest Man on the Planet started his own podcast – Hotboxin’ With Mike Tyson, probably trying to find an additional income. He interviewed some famous people and celebrities in the podcast – Eminem, Kevin Hart, Dennis Rodman, Snoop Dogg, Canelo Alvarez, Joe Rogan, etc.
In this article, we at The Dope Lists will take a look at Mike Tyson’s best wins. Do you agree with our list?
10. Lou Savarese
Lou Savarese was 39-3 when he fought Tyson at the Hampden Park in Glasgow in 2000. The fans expected to see some fight, but everything was over for just 38 seconds. Iron Mike scored a knockdown 15 seconds in the fight, and he didn’t waste any time to finish his opponent.
9. Mitch Green
Mitch Green was Mike Tyson’s 21st opponent when these two faced each other at the Madison Square Garden. Green deserves some respect because he actually survived the whole 10 rounds against young Tyson. The referees didn’t have any trouble making the decision, though – Iron Mike dominated the entire time.
8. James Smith
Being 28-0, Mike Tyson faced the tough James “Bonecrusher” Smith in 1987. The fight was for the vacant WBA heavyweight title. “Bonecrusher” is another fighter who made it to the end against Tyson, but Mike scored another dominant UD win.
7. Tyrell Biggs
Tyrell Biggs was no joke when he challenged Tyson for his world titles in 1987. Biggs was a 15-0 heavyweight prospect and an Olympic champion who was supposed to give Iron Mike some trouble. The fight reached the 7th round when the challenger had to give up. A TKO win for Mike Tyson.
6. Larry Holmes
Larry Holmes is arguably one of the best fighters in history, but it was probably a mistake to challenge Tyson for his titles in 1988. “The Easton Assassin” was way past his prime, which allowed Iron Mike to score an impressive knockout in the 4th round. It remains the only time in history when Larry Holmes didn’t reach the distance.
5. Frank Bruno II
In 1996 the former heavyweight champion Frank Bruno tried to avenge his defeat against Mike Tyson seven years earlier. “True Brit” was determined to show his abilities as a fighter, but once again, he became the prey for Iron Mike. The American scored a knockout in the third round and won the WBC title again.
4. Pinklon Thomas
In May 1987, Mike Tyson became 30-0 as a professional when he faced Pinklon “Pink” Thomas in Las Vegas. Thomas was no journeyman with his 29-1-1 record, but for Tyson, it was not a problem to keep his WBA and WBC heavyweight titles. The champion scored a TKO in the 6th round and put “Pink” out.
3. Trevor Berbick
This was Mike Tyson’s historic night as he was just 20 and became the youngest heavyweight champion in history. Iron Mike went into full “beast mode” and put Berbick down with a left hook. The champion tried to get up a few times, but it was clear that everything is over – Mike Tyson was the new heavyweight champion of the world.
2. Tony Tucker
In a unification fight for the titles in the division, Tyson went against Tony Tucker at the Las Vegas Hilton. “TNT” Tucker was not an easy opponent as he was unbeaten in this moment with a perfect 34-0 record. In his previous fight, Tucker had won against Buster Douglas – the man who would become the first man in history to win against Tyson. The challenger survived 12 rounds against Iron Mike, but he had to accept his defeat in the end.
1. Michael Spinks
Most boxing pundits agree that Mike Tyson’s win against Michael Spinks in 1988 remains his best performance ever. Before facing Iron Mike, “Jinx” Michael Spinks had a flawless record of 31-0. He was a fighter of undeniable quality. Why not cause an upset against the champion? It went all wrong for the challenger, though. Tyson ended the fight in just 91 seconds and once again proved he’s the best in the world.
Could Kid Dynamite return for another exhibition fight in the future? Would we eventually see Mike Tyson vs. Logan Paul in the ring? Nobody knows. He’s an unpredictable man – that’s for sure.
