Evander Holyfield
Evander Holyfield, Hollywood, CA on December 4, 2011
Statistics
Real name	Evander Holyfield
Nickname(s)	Real Deal The Warrior
Rated at	Light Heavyweight Cruiserweight Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 2 1⁄2 in (1.89 m)[1]
Reach	78 in (198 cm)
Nationality	American
Born	(1962-10-19) October 19, 1962 (age 49) Atmore, Alabama, USA
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	57
Wins	44
Wins by KO	29
Losses	10
Draws	2
No contests	1

Evander Holyfield (born October 19, 1962) is an American professional boxer. He is a former Undisputed World Champion in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions, earning him the nickname "The Real Deal." After winning the bronze medal in the Light Heavyweight division at the 1984 Summer Olympics, he debuted as a professional at the age of 21.

Holyfield moved to the cruiserweight division in 1985 and won his first title the following year, when he defeated Dwight Muhammad Qawi for the WBA Cruiserweight belt. He would then go on to defeat Ricky Parkey and Carlos De Leon to win the Lineal, IBF and WBC titles, becoming the Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion. Holyfield moved up to heavyweight in 1988, defeating Buster Douglas for the The Ring, Lineal, WBC, WBA and IBF titles in 1990.

Evander Holyfield holds other notable victories over fighters such as; George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Riddick Bowe, Ray Mercer, Mike Tyson (x2), Michael Moorer, John Ruiz, Michael Dokes and Hasim Rahman. Holyfield is the only 4-time World Heavyweight Champion, winning the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles in 1990, the WBA and IBF titles in 1993 and the WBA title in 1996 and 2000.

Overview[link]

Holyfield moved up to heavyweight in 1988, winning his first six fights, all by stoppage. On October 25, 1990, Holyfield knocked out Heavyweight Champion James "Buster" Douglas to claim the WBC, WBA, IBF & The Ring Heavyweight titles. He retained the Heavyweight crown three times, which included victories over former champions George Foreman and Larry Holmes, before suffering his first professional loss to Riddick Bowe on November 13, 1992. Holyfield regained the title in a rematch one year later, beating Bowe by majority decision for the WBA and IBF titles. Holyfield later lost the titles to Michael Moorer on April 22, 1994 by majority decision.

Holyfield was forced to retire in 1994, only to return a year later. On November 9, 1996, he went on to defeat Mike Tyson by eleventh round technical knockout to win the WBA title, in what was named fight of the year and upset of the year for 1996 by The Ring magazine. Evander Holyfield became the first Heavyweight since Muhammad Ali to win the World title three times. Seven months later, Holyfield won the 1997 rematch against Tyson, when the latter was disqualified in round three for biting off part of Holyfield's ear. During his reign as champion, he also avenged his loss to Michael Moorer, when he stopped him in eight rounds to win the IBF belt.

In 1999, he faced Lennox Lewis in a split draw, but was defeated in a rematch eight months later. The following year, he won a unanimous decision over John Ruiz for the vacant WBA Heavyweight Championship, becoming the first boxer to win a version of the heavyweight title four times.^[2] Holyfield would lose a rematch with Ruiz seven months later and would face him for the third time in a draw.

Holyfield is still an active boxer as of 2012 and has a professional record of 44 wins, 10 losses, 1 draw and 1 no contest. He is ranked #77 on Ring Magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time.^[3] Evander Holyfield is ranked as the Greatest Cruiserweight of all time by The Boxing Scene.^[4] and is considered one of the greatest Heavyweights of all time by many.

Early life[link]

Evander Holyfield was born on October 19, 1962, in the mill town of Atmore, Alabama. The youngest of nine children, Holyfield and his family moved to Atlanta in the summer of 1964, at the age of two. He began boxing at age 12 and won the Boys Club boxing tournament. At 13, he qualified to compete in his first Junior Olympics. By age 15, Holyfield became the Southeastern Regional Champion, winning this tournament and the Best Boxer Award. By 1984 he had a record of 160 wins and 14 losses, with 76 KO.

When he was 20 years old, Holyfield represented the U.S. in the 1983 Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela, where he won a silver medal after losing to Cuban world champion Pablo Romero.

The following year, he was the National Golden Gloves Champion, and won a bronze medal in the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California after a controversial disqualification in the second round of the semi-final against New Zealand's Kevin Barry.^[5][6][7]

Professional career[link]

Light Heavyweight[link]

Holyfield started out professionally as a light heavyweight with a televised win in six rounds over Lionel Byarm at Madison Square Garden on November 15, 1984. On January 20, 1985 he won another six-round decision over Eric Winbush in Atlantic City, New Jersey. On March 13, he knocked out Fred Brown in the first round in Norfolk, Virginia, and on April 20, he knocked out Mark Rivera in two rounds in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Cruiserweight[link]

Both he and his next opponent, Tyrone Booze, moved up to the cruiserweight division for their fight on July 20, 1985 in Norfolk, Virginia. Holyfield won an eight-round decision over Booze. Evander went on to knock out Rick Myers in the first round on August 29 in Holyfield's hometown of Atlanta. On October 30 in Atlantic City he knocked out opponent Jeff Meachem in five rounds, and his last fight for 1985 was against Anthony Davis on December 21 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He won by knocking out Davis in the fourth round.

He began 1986 with a knockout in three rounds over former world cruiserweight challenger Chisanda Mutti, and proceeded to beat Jessy Shelby and Terry Mims before being given a world title try by the WBA Cruiserweight Champion Dwight Muhammad Qawi. In what was called by The Ring as the best cruiserweight bout of the 1980s, Holyfield became world champion by defeating Qawi by a narrow 15 round split decision. He culminated 1986 with a trip to Paris, France, where he beat Mike Brothers by a knockout in three, in a non-title bout.

In 1987, he defended his title against former Olympic teammate and Gold medal winner Henry Tillman, who had beaten Mike Tyson twice as an amateur. He retained his belt, winning by seventh round knockout, and then went on to unify his WBA belt with the IBF belt held by Ricky Parkey, knocking Parkey out in three rounds. For his next bout, he returned to France, where he retained the title with an eleven round knockout against former world champion Ossie Ocasio. In his last fight of '87, he offered Muhammad Qawi a rematch and, this time, he beat Qawi by a knockout in only four rounds.

1988 was another productive year for Holyfield; he started by becoming the first universally recognized World Cruiserweight Champion after defeating the Lineal & WBC Champion Carlos De León at Las Vegas. The fight was stopped after eight rounds.^[8]

Heavyweight[link]

After that fight, he announced he was moving up in weight to pursue the World Heavyweight Championship held by Tyson. His first fight as a Heavyweight took place on July 16, when he beat former Tyson rival James "Quick" Tillis by a knockout in five, in Lake Tahoe, Nevada (Tillis had gone the distance with Tyson). For his third and final bout of '88, he beat former Heavyweight Champion Pinklon Thomas, also by knockout, in seven rounds.

Holyfield began 1989 meeting another former Heavyweight Champion, Michael Dokes. This fight would also be named one of the best fights of the 1980s by Ring magazine, as best heavyweight bout of the 1980s. Holyfield won by a knockout in the tenth round, and then he met Brazilian Champion Adilson Rodrigues, who lasted two rounds. His last fight of the 1980s was against Alex Stewart, a hard punching fringe contender. Stewart shocked Holyfield early, with quick, hard punches, but eventually fell in eight.

In 1990, Holyfield beat Seamus McDonagh, knocking him out in four rounds. By this time, Holyfield had been Ring Magazine's Number 1 contender for two years and had yet to receive a shot at Tyson's Heavyweight title.

Undisputed Heavyweight Champion: 1990–1992[link]

Holyfield had been promised a title shot against Tyson in 1990. Before that fight could occur, in what many consider to be the biggest upset in boxing history, relatively unknown boxer, 29-year old, 231 lb. Buster Douglas defeated the 23-year old, 218 lb. Mike Tyson in ten rounds in Tokyo to become the new Undisputed Heavyweight Champion. Instead of fighting Tyson, Holyfield would be Douglas' first title defense.

They met on October 25, 1990. Douglas came into the fight at 246 lb. and offered little in the fight against Holyfield, who was in great shape at 208 lb. In the third round Douglas tried to start a combination with a big right uppercut. Holyfield countered with a straight right hand that was lightning quick and Douglas went down for the count. Holyfield was the new undefeated, Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of the World. At the time of the knockout, Holyfield was ahead on all three judges' scorecards, all seeing it 20–18 for Holyfield.

In his first defense, he beat former and future world champion George Foreman by unanimous decision in 12. The fight was billed as a "Battle for the Ages," a reference to the age differential between the young undefeated champion (28 years old) and the much older George Foreman (42 years old). Holyfield weighed in at 208 pounds and Foreman weighed in at 257 pounds. Foreman lost the fight by a unanimous decision, but surprised many by lasting the whole 12 rounds against a much younger opponent, even staggering Holyfield a few times and knocking him off balance in the seventh round.

Then a deal was signed for him to defend his crown against Mike Tyson in November 1991. Tyson delayed the fight, claiming he was injured in training, but was then convicted for the rape of Desiree Washington and sentenced to six years in prison, so the fight did not happen at that time. They would fight in 1996 (Holyfield won by a TKO in 11) and a rematch in 1997 (Holyfield won by disqualification in 3, after Tyson bit both of his ears).

Holyfield made his next defense in Atlanta against Bert Cooper, who surprised him with a very good effort. Holyfield scored the first knockdown of the fight against Cooper with a powerful shot to the body, but Cooper returned the favor with a good right hand that sent Holyfield against the ropes; while not an actual knockdown, referee Mills Lane gave Holyfield a standing 8-count. Having suffered the first technical knockdown of his professional career, Holyfield regained his composure quickly and administered a beating that left Cooper still on his feet, but unable to defend himself. Holyfield landed brutal power shots, culminated by repeated vicious uppercuts that would snap Cooper's head back. Referee Mills Lane stopped the bout in the seventh.

In his first fight of 1992, he faced former world heavyweight champion Larry Holmes, who was 42 years old, and had just pulled off an upset against Ray Mercer. During the bout, Holyfield suffered the first scar of his career with a gash opening up over his eye, the result of Holmes' elbow. The fight ended with a unanimous decision in favor of Holyfield.

Holyfield-Bowe I & II[link]

In the beginning of a trilogy of bouts with the 25-year old Riddick Bowe, who had won a silver medal in the 1988 Olympics, in the Super Heavyweight division, he suffered his first defeat when Bowe won the undisputed title by a 12-round unanimous decision in Las Vegas. Round ten of that bout was named the Round of the Year by Ring Magazine. Holyfield was knocked down in round 11. He made the mistake of getting into a slugfest with the younger, bigger and stronger Bowe, leading to his defeat.

He began 1993 by beating Alex Stewart in a rematch, but this time over the 12-round unanimous distance.

Then came the rematch with Bowe on November 6, 1993. In what is considered by many sporting historians as one of the most bizarre moments in boxing's history, during round seven the crowd got off their feet and many people started to run for cover and yell. Holyfield took his eyes off Bowe for one moment and then told Bowe to look up to the skies. What they saw was a man in a parachute flying dangerously close to them. The man almost entered the ring, but his parachute had gotten entangled in the lights and he landed on the ropes and apron of the ring, and he was then pulled into the crowd, where he was beaten by members of Bowe's entourage. Bowe's pregnant wife, Judy, fainted and had to be taken to the hospital from the arena. Twenty minutes later, calm was restored and Holyfield went on to recover his world heavyweight titles with a close 12 round majority decision. The man who parachuted down to the middle of the ring became known as The Fan Man and the fight itself became known as the Fan Man Fight. His victory over Bowe that year helped Holyfield being named as ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year for 1993.

Title loss to Moorer[link]

His next fight, April 1994, he met former WBO Light Heavyweight Michael Moorer, who was attempting to become the first southpaw to become the universally recognised world heavyweight champion. He dropped Moorer in round two, but lost a twelve round majority decision. When he went to the hospital to have his shoulder checked, he was diagnosed with a heart condition and had to announce his retirement from boxing. It would later surface that the chairman of the medical advisory board for the Nevada State Athletic Commission believed his condition to be consistent with HGH use.^[9]

However, watching a television show hosted by preacher Benny Hinn, Holyfield says he felt his heart heal. He and Hinn subsequently became friends and he became a frequent visitor to Hinn's crusades. In fact, during this time, Holyfield went to a Benny Hinn crusade in Philadelphia, had Hinn lay hands on him and gave Hinn a check for $265,000 after he was told he was healed. He then passed his next examination by the boxing commission. Holyfield would later state that his heart was misdiagnosed due to the morphine pumped into his body.

In 1995, Holyfield returned to the ring with a ten-round decision win versus former Olympic gold medalist, Ray Mercer. He was the first man to knock down Mercer.

Holyfield and Bowe then had their rubber match. Holyfield knocked Bowe down with a single left hook but Bowe prevailed by a knockout in eight. Holyfield would later claim that he contracted hepatitis before the fight.^[10]

Holyfield-Tyson fights[link]

Holyfield vs. Tyson I[link]

1996 was a very good year for Holyfield. First, he met former world champion Bobby Czyz, beating him by a knockout in six. Then, he and Mike Tyson finally met.

Tyson had recovered the WBC and WBA Heavyweight Championship and, after being stripped of the WBC title for not facing Lennox Lewis, defended the WBA title against Holyfield on November 9 of that year. Tyson was heavily favored to win, but Holyfield made history by defeating Tyson in an 11th round TKO. This was the third occasion on which Holyfield won the WBA Heavyweight title. However, the fight was not recognized as being for the Linear Heavyweight Championship, which was held by George Foreman at the time.^[11]

Holyfield vs. Tyson II: The Bite Fight[link]

Holyfield's rematch with Tyson took place on June 28, 1997. Known as "The Bite Fight," it would go into the annals of boxing as one of the most bizarre fights in history. The infamous incident occurred in the third round, when Tyson bit Holyfield on one of his ears and had two points deducted. Referee Mills Lane decided to disqualify Tyson initially, but after Holyfield and the ringside doctor intervened and said Holyfield could continue, he relented and allowed the fight to go on. However, Tyson went on to bite Holyfield again, this time on the other ear. Tyson, with his teeth, tore off the top of his ear, known as the helix, and spit the flesh out on the ring.

The immediate aftermath of the incident was greeted by instant bedlam. Tyson was disqualified and a melee ensued. Tyson claimed his bites were a retaliation to Holyfield's unchecked headbutts, which had cut him in both fights. Others argued that Tyson, knowing he was on his way to another knockout loss, was looking for a way out of the fight. His former trainer, Teddy Atlas, had predicted that Tyson would get himself disqualified, calling Tyson "a very weak and flawed person."^[12]

Avenging the Moorer defeat[link]

Next came another rematch, this time against Michael Moorer, who had recovered the IBF's world title. Holyfield knocked Moorer to the canvas five times and referee Mitch Halpern stopped the fight between the eighth and ninth rounds under the advice of physician Flip Homansky. Holyfield once again unified his WBA belt with the IBF belt by avenging his defeat to Moorer.

In 1998 Holyfield had only one fight, making a mandatory defense against Vaughn Bean, who was defeated by decision at the Georgia Dome in the champion's hometown. For the first time, Holyfield's performance called into question whether age was diminishing his ability to continue as a championship fighter.^[13]

Holyfield-Lewis fights[link]

Holyfield vs. Lewis I[link]

By 1999, the public was clamoring for a unification bout versus the WBC World Champion, Lennox Lewis of the United Kingdom. That bout happened in March of that year. The bout was declared a controversial draw after twelve rounds, where it appeared to most that Lewis dominated the fight.^[14] Holyfield claimed his performance was hindered by stomach and leg cramps.^[15] Holyfield and Lewis were ordered by the three leading organizations of which they were champions to have an immediate rematch.

Holyfield vs. Lewis II[link]

The second time around, in November of that year, Lewis became the Undisputed Champion by beating Holyfield via unanimous decision by three American judges. Holyfield said "I haven't felt this good after a fight since I was a cruiserweight," Holyfield said. "It makes me think I should have fought a little harder against Lennox. Maybe I'd be sore and sick, but I'd have the victory."^[16]

Trilogy with John Ruiz[link]

In 2000, Lewis was stripped of the WBA belt for failing to meet lightly regarded Don King fighter John Ruiz, having fought Ruiz's conqueror David Tua, and the WBA ordered Holyfield and Ruiz to meet for that organization's world title belt. Holyfield and Ruiz began their trilogy in August of that year, with Holyfield making history by winning on a controversial, but unanimous 12 round decision to become the first boxer in history to be the World Heavyweight Champion four times. Holyfield blamed his lackluster performance on a perforated (broken) eardrum.^[17]

Seven months later, in March 2001, it was Ruiz's turn to make history at Holyfield's expense when he surprisingly managed to knock Holyfield down and beat him by a 12 round decision to become the first Hispanic ever to win a Heavyweight title. On December 15 of that year, Holyfield challenged Ruiz for the title, in an attempt to become champion again. The fight was declared a draw and John Ruiz maintained the WBA Championship title.

Holyfield vs. Byrd[link]

2002 began as a promising year for Holyfield: in June, he met former World Heavyweight Champion Hasim Rahman, to determine who would face Lewis next. Holyfield was leading on two of the three scorecards when the fight was stopped in the eighth round due to a severe hematoma on Rahman's forehead that was caused by a headbutt earlier in the fight. Holyfield was ahead, so he was declared the winner by a technical decision.

The IBF decided to strip Lewis of his belt after he didn't want to fight Don King-promoted fighter Chris Byrd, instead going after Tyson, and declared that the winner of the fight between Holyfield and former WBO Heavyweight Champion Byrd would be recognized as their Heavyweight Champion. So, on December 14, 2002, Holyfield once again tried to become the first man ever to be Heavyweight Champion five times when he and Byrd met, but Byrd came out as the winner by a 12-round unanimous decision.

Consecutive losses & New York suspension[link]

On October 4, 2003, Holyfield lost to James Toney by TKO when his corner threw in the towel in the ninth round. At age 42, Holyfield returned to the ring to face Larry Donald on November 13, 2004. He lost his third consecutive match in a twelve round unanimous decision.

In August 2005 it had been reported that the New York State Athletic Commission had banned Evander Holyfield from boxing in New York due to "diminishing skills" despite the fact that Holyfield had passed a battery of medical tests.

Comeback[link]

Holyfield was initially criticized for his ongoing comeback; but he is adamant that his losses to Toney and Donald were the result of a shoulder injury, not of old age. Holyfield had looked better in his first four fights since Donald and appeared to have answered the critics who say that he lacks the cutting edge and ability to follow up on crucial openings that he had in his youth.

Holyfield defeated Jeremy Bates by TKO on August 18, 2006 in a 10 round bout at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. Holyfield dominated the fight which was stopped in the second round after he landed roughly twenty consecutive punches on Bates.

Holyfield defeated Fres Oquendo by unanimous decision on November 10, 2006 in San Antonio, Texas. Holyfield knocked Oquendo down in the first minute of the first round and continued to be the aggressor throughout the fight, winning a unanimous decision by scores of 116–111 and 114–113 twice.

On March 17, 2007, Holyfield defeated Vinny Maddalone by TKO when Maddalone's corner threw in the towel to save their man from serious injury in the ring.

On June 30, 2007, Holyfield defeated Lou Savarese, knocking the bigger and heavier Savarese down in the fourth and again in the ninth round, en route to a unanimous decision win. This was Holyfield's fourth win in ten months, two of them by KO. This victory finally set the stage for Holyfield's title fight against Sultan Ibragimov, for the WBO Heavyweight title.

El Paso Texas, June 30, 2007 vs. Lou Savarese

Still hungry[link]

Holyfield vs. Ibragimov[link]

On October 13, 2007, Holyfield was defeated by Sultan Ibragimov. Although unable to defy his critics by winning a fifth Heavyweight title, Holyfield refused to be backed up by the young champion and even rattled him in the closing part of the 12th round. The fight was mostly uneventful, however, with neither fighter being truly staggered or knocked down. In most exchanges, Sultan was able to land two punches to Holyfield's one. The end result was a unanimous decision for Ibragimov, with scores of 118–110 and 117–111 twice.

Holyfield vs. Valuev[link]

He told BBC Scotland's Sports Weekly "I'm gonna fight, be the heavyweight champion of the world one more time. Then I'm gonna write another book and tell everybody how I did it." On December 20, 2008 he fought, at the Hallenstadion in Zürich, Switzerland, the WBA Heavyweight Champion Nikolai Valuev for a paycheck of $600,000, the lowest amount he has ever received for a championship fight. At the weigh-in, he weighed 214 pounds, Valuev weighed a career low of 310 pounds.

Valuev defeated Holyfield by a highly controversial majority decision after a relatively uneventful bout. One judge scored the bout a draw 114–114, while the others had Valuev winning 116–112 and 115–114. Many analysts were outraged at the decision, thinking Holyfield had clearly won.^[18] There was talk of a rematch in 2009.

The WBA did their own investigation into the controversial decision;^[19] "As the World Boxing Association (WBA) always cares about and respects the fans' and the media's opinion, the Championship Committee has ordered a panel of judges to review the tape of the fight between Nikolai Valuev and Evander Holyfield, for the WBA heavyweight title" read a statement from the WBA. The organization also expressed that they "will give a decision accordingly in the following weeks." Many speculated that an immediate rematch would be the most likely scenario, but this never materialised. Valuev lost the WBA title in his next fight against British boxer David Haye.

Holyfield vs. Botha[link]

After the loss to Valuev, Holyfield took a period of inactivity. He reportedly agreed to fight South African boxer Francois Botha on January 16, 2010; it was agreed that the venue for the fight would be the Nelson Mandela Memorial Stadium in Kampala, Uganda. A few weeks before the fight, it was revealed that the bout would be postponed to February 20, 2010.^[20][21] The match was put in jeopardy due to economic disagreements but was later confirmed to be on April 10, 2010 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.^[22] When asked about his upcoming bout, the four-time world heavyweight champion said: "I've been hearing for a while that I can't do it. All it does is light a fire under me to prove people wrong." He also added: "I can still fight. I don't want to leave until I've become the undisputed heavyweight champion one more time. That's been my goal the entire time."^[23] The American boxer scored an eighth round knockout of Botha to win the vacant WBF Heavyweight title.^[24][25]

Holyfield started slowly as usual in the early going. Botha held and hit Holyfield, and took the control of the fight for the first three rounds. However, the South African could not slow down Holyfield, though he did hurt him, and the American boxer slowly began to punch him more to take control of the bout in the later rounds. In the seventh round Holyfield stunned Botha and knocked him down in the eighth round. Though he beat the count, Holyfield cornered him and landed many punches that forced the referee Russell Mora to stop the bout. At the time of the stoppage, Holyfield was behind on two judges' cards, 67–66, while the third judge had it 69–64 for the American boxer. Only 3,127 attended the fight.^[26]

Holyfield vs. Williams[link]

After the Botha fight, Holyfield said he was interested in fighting either Vitali Klitschko, the current WBC Champion, or his younger brother Wladimir Klitschko.^[27][28] Holyfield's next bout against Sherman "The Tank" Williams on November 5, 2010 at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan was then postponed twice before finally being rescheduled to January 22, 2011 and moved to The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Holyfield started the bout slowly and in the second round, he was cut in the left eye following an accidental clash of heads. In round three as he took several combinations. After the end of the round, Holyfield told his corner that he was unable to see due to the cut. Consequently, the bout was ruled a no contest.^[29]

The WBC has allegedly agreed to match Holyfield up with Vitali Klitschko after he gets through Williams and Nielsen.^[30]

Holyfield vs. Nielsen[link]

A fight with Brian Nielsen, the most popular Danish heavyweight in that country’s history, was scheduled for March 5, 2011 in Denmark, but needed to be postponed to May 7, 2011 due to a cut Holyfield received in the Williams fight.^[31]

The official weigh-in was held on Friday night in Denmark, with Holyfield at 225 pounds, while his opponent Nielsen, with his shorts on, weighed 238 pounds. It is to be noted that Nielsen had never been this light in his career. Neilson had said that although it would be mighty difficult for him to beat Holyfield, he promised it would not be one sided affair. Holyfield said that if he won he would move to next level and challenge for major titles.

Holyfield started the fight aggressively, pressing the 46-year-old Nielsen into the ropes and landing several hard jabs and hooks, knocking him down in the 3rd round. Despite getting a swollen eye in the 4th round, Nielsen kept on clowning to provoke Holyfield throughout the bout, prompting his trainer, Paul Duvill, to beg him to stop fooling around and focus on Holyfield. In round 10, Nielsen pushed a tired-looking Holyfield into the ropes with a series of combinations, before Holyfield turned it around. Holyfield pushed Nielsen into a corner and battered him with combinations until the referee stopped the contest.^[32][33]

It was a tough fight – he kept coming back, Holyfield said. He fought a very courageous fight.

Allegations of steroid and HGH use[link]

On February 28, 2007, Holyfield was anonymously linked to Applied Pharmacy Services, a pharmacy in Alabama that is currently under investigation for supplying athletes with illegal steroids and human growth hormone (HGH). He denies ever using performance enhancers.^[34]

Holyfield's name does not appear in the law enforcement documents reviewed. However, a patient by the name of "Evan Fields" caught investigators' attention. "Fields" shares the same birth date as Holyfield—October 19, 1962. The listed address for "Fields" was 794 Evander, Fairfield, Ga. 30213. Holyfield has a very similar address. When the phone number that, according to the documents, was associated with the "Fields" prescription, was dialed, Holyfield answered.^[35]

On March 10, 2007 Holyfield made a public announcement that he would be pursuing his own investigation into the steroid claims in order to clear his name.^[36]

Holyfield was again linked to HGH in September 2007, when his name came up following a raid of Signature Pharmacy in Orlando, Florida.^[37] As of September 2007^[update], Signature Pharmacy is under investigation for illegally supplying several professional athletes with steroids and HGH.^[38]

Life outside the ring[link]

Holyfield at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2010.

Holyfield is the younger brother of actor and dancer, Bernard Holyfield, and currently lives and trains in Fayette County, Georgia with his third wife Candi and their two children; he has at least eleven children.

By 1992, Holyfield was already a household name, announcing multiple products on television, such as Coca Cola and Diet Coke. He also had a video game released for the Sega Genesis and the Sega Game Gear: Evander Holyfield's Real Deal Boxing. After his conversion, he started professing his Christianity everywhere, reminding the public before and after his fights that he is a born-again Christian.

In 1996 Holyfield was given the opportunity to carry the Olympic torch when it was on its way to his hometown of Atlanta for that year's Olympics. October 4 of this year he was married to Dr. Janice Itson, with whom he had one child.

He founded Real Deal Records which signed the briefly successful group Exhale.

On September 22, 2007 Holyfield released the Real Deal Grill cooking appliance via TV infomercials. The Real Deal Grill is manufactured by Cirtran Corp.

Holyfield's popularity has led to numerous television appearances for the boxer. His first television show appearance was the Christmas special of the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 1990, playing himself. In 2005, Holyfield came in fifth place on ABC's Dancing with the Stars with his partner Edyta Sliwinska. He also made an appearance on the original BBC Strictly Come Dancing "Champion of Champions" showdown, which featured the final four teams from the 2005 edition of the British series, plus two celebrities from spinoff versions, paired with British professional dancers, one featuring Holyfield paired with Karen Hardy, and Rachel Hunter paired with Brendan Cole. Holyfield also had minor roles in three movies during the 1990s, Summer of Sam, Necessary Roughness, and Blood Salvage (which he also produced). He made a guest appearance on Nickelodeon's Nickelodeon GUTS during its third season in 1994. He appeared once in an episode of Phineas and Ferb. In the episode, he is an animated character but the producers wanted to make the most of Holyfield's ear, so his animated character was only given half an ear.

On August 13, 2007, Holyfield was confirmed to participate in a boxing match at World Wrestling Entertainment's Saturday Night's Main Event against Matt Hardy. He replaced Montel Vontavious Porter, who had to pull out after being legitimately diagnosed with a heart condition that was not part of a storyline.

In late 2007 and early 2008, Holyfield was among a number of celebrities to be doing television ads for the restaurant chain Zaxby's.

In June 2008 a legal notice was placed by Washington Mutual Bank stating that Holyfield's $10 million, 54,000-square-foot (5,000 m²), 109 room, 17 bathroom suburban Atlanta estate would be auctioned off on July 1, 2008 due to foreclosure, shortly before that bank's insolvency. Adding to his financial problems, Toi Irvin, mother of his 10-year-old son, filed suit for non-payment of two months child support (he pays $3,000 per month for this child). A Utah landscaping firm also has gone to court seeking $550,000 in unpaid debt for services.^[39] Holyfield appeared as himself in the 2011 remake of Arthur.

Professional boxing record[link]

44 Wins (29 knockouts, 13 decisions, 1 disqualification), 10 losses (2 knockouts, 8 decisions), 2 Draws, 1 No Contest[40]
Res.	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes
Win	44-10-2 1 NC	Brian Nielsen	TKO	10 (12)	07/05/2011	Koncerthuset, Orestad, Copenhagen, Denmark
NC	43-10-2 1 NC	Sherman Williams	NC	3 (12)	22/01/2011	Greenbrier Resort, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, United States	Retained WBF Heavyweight title. Fight stopped due to Holyfield's left eye being cut as a result of an accidental clash of heads in the second round.
Win	43-10-2	Francois Botha	TKO	8 (12)	10/04/2010	Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Won vacant WBF Heavyweight title.
Loss	42-10-2	Nikolai Valuev	MD	12	20/12/2008	Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland	For WBA Heavyweight title.
Loss	42-9-2	Sultan Ibragimov	UD	12	13/10/2007	Khodynka Ice Palace, Moscow, Russia	For WBO Heavyweight title.
Win	42-8-2	Lou Savarese	UD	10	30/06/2007	Don Haskins Convention Center, El Paso, Texas, United States
Win	41-8-2	Vincent Maddalone	TKO	3 (10)	17/03/2007	American Bank Center, Corpus Christi, Texas, United States
Win	40-8-2	Fres Oquendo	UD	12	16/10/2006	Alamodome, San Antonio, Texas, United States	Won vacant USBA Heavyweight title.
Win	39-8-2	Jeremy Bates	TKO	2 (12)	18/08/2006	American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas, United States
Loss	38-8-2	Larry Donald	UD	12	13/11/2004	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States	For vacant NABC Heavyweight title.
Loss	38-7-2	James Toney	TKO	9 (12)	04/10/2003	Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	IBF Heavyweight Title Eliminator.
Loss	38-6-2	Chris Byrd	UD	12	14/12/2002	Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	For vacant IBF Heavyweight title.
Win	38-5-2	Hasim Rahman	TD	8 (12)	01/06/2002	Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City New Jersey, United States	WBA Heavyweight Title Eliminator.
Draw	37-5-2	John Ruiz	D	12	15/12/2001	Foxwoods Resort, Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States	For WBA Heavyweight title.
Loss	37-5-1	John Ruiz	UD	12	03/03/2001	Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Lost WBA Heavyweight title.
Win	37-4-1	John Ruiz	UD	12	12/08/2000	Paris Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Won vacant WBA Heavyweight title.
Loss	36-4-1	Lennox Lewis	UD	12	13/11/1999	Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Lost WBA & IBF Heavyweight titles. For Lineal, WBC & vacant IBO Heavyweight titles.
Draw	36-3-1	Lennox Lewis	D	12	13/03/1999	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States	Retained WBA & IBF Heavyweight titles. For Lineal & WBC Heavyweight titles.
Win	36–3	Vaughn Bean	UD	12	19/09/1998	Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia, United States	Retained WBA & IBF Heavyweight titles.
Win	35–3	Michael Moorer	TKO	8 (12)	08/11/1997	Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Retained WBA & won IBF Heavyweight title.
Win	34–3	Mike Tyson	DQ	3 (12)	28/06/1997	MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Retained WBA Heavyweight title. The "Bite Fight."
Win	33–3	Mike Tyson	TKO	11 (12)	09/11/1996	MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Won WBA Heavyweight title. The Ring Magazine Fight of the Year and Upset of the Year for 1996.
Win	32–3	Bobby Czyz	TKO	5 (10)	10/05/1996	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Loss	31–3	Riddick Bowe	TKO	8 (12)	04/11/1995	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	31–2	Ray Mercer	UD	10	20/05/1995	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Loss	30–2	Michael Moorer	MD	12	22/04/1994	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Lost Lineal, WBA & IBF Heavyweight titles.
Win	30–1	Riddick Bowe	MD	12	06/11/1993	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Won Lineal, WBA & IBF Heavyweight titles.
Win	29–1	Alex Stewart	UD	12	26/06/1993	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Loss	28–1	Riddick Bowe	UD	12	13/12/1992	Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Lost Lineal, WBC, WBA & IBF Heavyweight titles. Ring Magazine Fight of the Year.
Win	28–0	Larry Holmes	UD	12	19/06/1992	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Retained Lineal, WBC, WBA & IBF Heavyweight titles.
Win	27–0	Bert Cooper	TKO	7 (12)	23/11/1991	The Omni, Atlanta, Georgia, United States	Retained Lineal, WBA & IBF Heavyweight titles.
Win	26–0	George Foreman	UD	12	19/04/1991	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Retained Lineal, WBC, WBA & IBF Heavyweight titles.
Win	25–0	Buster Douglas	KO	3 (12)	25/10/1990	Mirage Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Won The Ring, WBC, WBA & IBF Heavyweight titles.
Win	24–0	Seamus McDonagh	TKO	4 (12)	01/06/1990	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Retained WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight title.
Win	23–0	Alex Stewart	TKO	8 (12)	04/11/1989	Trump Plaza, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Retained WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight title.
Win	22–0	Adilson Rodrigues	KO	2 (12)	15/07/1989	Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, United States	Retained WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight title.
Win	21–0	Michael Dokes	TKO	10 (12)	03/11/1989	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Won WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight title.
Win	20–0	Pinklon Thomas	RTD	7 (10)	09/12/1988	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win	19–0	James Tillis	RTD	5 (10)	15/07/1988	Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, United States
Win	18–0	Carlos De Leon	TKO	8 (12)	09/04/1988	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Retained WBA, IBF & won Lineal and WBC Cruiserweight titles.
Win	17–0	Dwight Muhammad Qawi	KO	4 (15)	05/12/1987	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Retained WBA & IBF Cruiserweight titles.
Win	16–0	Ossie Ocasio	TKO	11 (15)	15/08/1987	Saint-Tropez, Var, France	Retained WBA & IBF Cruiserweight titles.
Win	15–0	Ricky Parkey	TKO	3 (15)	15/05/1987	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Retained WBA & won IBF Cruiserweight titles.
Win	14–0	Henry Tillman	TKO	7 (15)	14/02/1987	Bally's Hotel & Casino, Reno, Nevada, United States	Retained WBA Cruiserweight title.
Win	13–0	Mike Brothers	TKO	3 (10)	08/12/1986	Paris, Ile-de-France, France
Win	12–0	Dwight Muhammad Qawi	SD	15	12/07/1986	The Omni, Atlanta, Georgia, United States	Won WBA Cruiserweight title.
Win	11–0	Terry Mims	KO	5 (10)	28/05/1986	Metairie, Louisiana, United States
Win	10–0	Jesse Shelby	KO	3 (10)	06/04/1986	Corpus Christi, Texas, United States
Win	9–0	Chisanda Mutti	TKO	3 (10)	1986-03-01	Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Win	8–0	Anthony Davis	TKO	4 (10)	1985-12-21	Virginia Beach, Virginia
Win	7–0	Jeff Meachem	TKO	5 (8)	1985-10-30	Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	6–0	Rick Myers	TKO	1 (8)	1985-08-29	Atlanta, Georgia
Win	5–0	Tyrone Booze	UD	8	1985-07-20	Norfolk, Virginia
Win	4–0	Mark Rivera	TKO	2 (8)	1985-04-20	Corpus Christi, Texas
Win	3–0	Fred Brown	TKO	1 (6)	1985-03-13	Norfolk, Virginia
Win	2–0	Eric Winbush	UD	6	1985-01-20	Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	1–0	Lionel Byarm	UD	6	1984-11-15	New York City, New York

Titles in boxing[link]

Major World Titles:

• WBA Cruiserweight Champion (200 lbs)
• IBF Cruiserweight Champion (200 lbs)
• WBC Cruiserweight Champion (200 lbs)
• WBC Heavyweight Champion (+200 lbs)
• WBA Heavyweight Champion (+200 lbs)
• IBF Heavyweight Champion (+200 lbs)
• (2) WBA Heavyweight Champion (+200 lbs)
• (2) IBF Heavyweight Champion (+200 lbs)
• (3) WBA Heavyweight Champion (+200 lbs)
• (3) IBF Heavyweight Champion (+200 lbs)
• (4) WBA Heavyweight Champion (+200 lbs)

Minor World Titles:

• WBF Heavyweight Champion (+200 lbs)

The Ring/Lineal Championship Titles:

• Lineal Cruiserweight Champion (200 lbs)
• The Ring Heavyweight Champion (+200 lbs)
• Lineal Heavyweight Champion (+200 lbs)
• (2) Lineal Heavyweight Champion (+200 lbs)

Regional/International Titles:

• WBC Continental Americas Heavyweight Champion (+200 lbs)
• USBA Heavyweight Champion (+200 lbs)

See also[link]

	Book: Evander Holyfield
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

• List of cruiserweight boxing champions
• List of heavyweight boxing champions
• List of WBA world champions
• List of WBC world champions
• List of IBF world champions

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Evander Holyfield

• Official website
• Professional boxing record for Evander Holyfield from BoxRec
• Evander Holyfield Pics
• Evander Holyfield Fight-by-Fight Career Record
• Evander Holyfield at the Internet Movie Database
• New Georgia Encyclopedia
• [3]
• Details of Ibragimov fight

Holyfield is a hamlet in the Epping Forest district of Essex, England. It is located at grid reference grid reference TL385035 and is within the EN postcode area. For local government purposes the hamlet forms part of the Waltham Abbey parish.

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Coordinates: 51°42′47″N 0°00′12″E / 51.71314°N 0.00331°E / 51.71314; 0.00331

Mike Tyson
Tyson at SXSW 2011
Statistics
Real name	Michael Gerard Tyson
Nickname(s)	Kid Dynamite[1] Iron Mike The Baddest Man on the Planet
Rated at	Heavyweight
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Reach	71 in (180 cm)
Born	(1966-06-30) June 30, 1966 (age 45) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	58
Wins	50
Wins by KO	44
Losses	6
Draws	0
No contests	2

Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is a retired American professional boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles at 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old. Tyson won his first 19 professional bouts by knockout, with 12 of them occurring in the first round. He won the WBC title in 1986 after defeating Trevor Berbick by a TKO in the second round. In 1987, Tyson added the WBA and IBF titles after defeating James Smith and Tony Tucker. He was the first heavyweight boxer to simultaneously hold the WBA, WBC and IBF titles, and the only heavyweight to individually unify them.

In 1988, Tyson became the lineal champion when he knocked out Michael Spinks in the first 91 seconds of the fight. Tyson successfully defended the world heavyweight championship nine times, including victories over Larry Holmes and Frank Bruno. Tyson lost his titles to 42-to-1 underdog James "Buster" Douglas on February 11, 1990, in Tokyo, Japan, by a knockout in round 10. Tyson continued in his quest to regain the titles, defeating Donovan Ruddock twice in 1991. Tyson was then scheduled to take on the undisputed heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield but pulled out due to injury.

In 1992, Tyson was convicted of raping Desiree Washington, for which he was sentenced to six years in prison but was released after serving three years. After his release, he engaged in a series of comeback fights. In 1996, Tyson won the WBC and WBA titles after defeating Frank Bruno and Bruce Seldon by knockout. After being stripped of the WBC title, Tyson lost his WBA crown to Evander Holyfield in November 1996 by an 11th round TKO. Their 1997 rematch ended when Tyson was disqualified for biting off part of Holyfield's ear.

In 2002, he fought for the world heavyweight title at the age of 35, losing by knockout to Lennox Lewis. Tyson retired from professional boxing in 2006 after he was knocked out in consecutive matches against Danny Williams and Kevin McBride. Tyson declared bankruptcy in 2003, despite having received over US$30 million for several of his fights and $300 million during his career.

Throughout his career, Tyson became well known for his ferocious and intimidating boxing style as well as his controversial behavior both inside and outside the ring. Tyson is considered to have been one of the best heavyweight boxers of all time.^[2] He was ranked No. 16 on The Ring's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time.^[3] and No. 1 in the ESPN.com list of "The hardest hitters in heavyweight history".^[4] He has been inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

Early years[link]

Tyson was born in Brooklyn, New York City. He has a brother, Rodney, who is five years older than he. His sister, Denise, died of a heart attack at age 25 in 1991.^[5] Tyson's father, Jimmy Kirkpatrick, abandoned his family when Tyson was 2, leaving his mother, Lorna Smith Tyson, to care for them on her own.^[6] The family lived in Bedford-Stuyvesant until their financial burdens necessitated a move to Brownsville when Tyson was 10 years old.^[7] Tyson's mother died six years later, leaving 16-year-old Tyson in the care of boxing manager and trainer Cus D'Amato, who would become his legal guardian. Tyson has been quoted saying, "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."^[8]

Throughout his childhood, Tyson lived in and around high-crime neighborhoods. According to an interview in Details his first fight was with a bigger youth who had pulled the head off one of Tyson's pigeons.^[9] He 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.^[10] He ended up at the Tryon School for Boys in Johnstown, New York. It was at the school that Tyson's emerging boxing ability was discovered by Bobby Stewart, a juvenile detention center counselor and former boxer.^[6] Stewart considered Tyson to be an outstanding fighter and trained him for a few months before introducing him to Cus D'Amato.^[6]

Tyson was later removed from the reform school by Cus D'Amato.^[11] Kevin Rooney also trained Tyson, and he was occasionally assisted by Teddy Atlas, although he was dismissed by D'Amato when Tyson was 15. Rooney eventually took over all training duties for the young fighter.

Tyson's brother is a physician assistant in the trauma center of the Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center.^[12] He has always been very supportive of his brother's career and was often seen at Tyson's boxing matches in Las Vegas, Nevada. When asked about their relationship, Mike has been quoted saying, "My brother and I see each other occasionally and we love each other," and "My brother was always something and I was nothing."^[13]

Education[link]

Although Mike Tyson dropped out of high school as a junior and never graduated, in 1989, along with Don King, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from Central State University, in Wilberforce, Ohio by university President Arthur E. Thomas.^[14][15]

Career[link]

Amateur career[link]

Tyson competed at the 1981 and 1982 Junior Olympic Games, and won the gold medal twice: in 1981 against Joe Cortez and in 1982 against Kelton Brown, whose corner threw in the towel within the first round. He holds the Junior Olympic quickest knockout record with 8 seconds. In addition he won every bout at the Junior Olympic Games by knockout.

He fought Henry Tillman twice as an amateur losing both bouts by close decision. Tillman went on to win heavyweight Gold at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Rise to stardom[link]

Tyson made his professional debut as an 18-year-old on March 6, 1985, in Albany, New York. He defeated Hector Mercedes via a first round knockout.^[6] He had 15 bouts in his first year as a professional. Fighting frequently, Tyson won 26 of his first 28 fights by KO/TKO – 16 in the first round.^[16] The quality of his opponents gradually increased to journeyman fighters and borderline contenders,^[16] like James Tillis, David Jaco, Jesse Ferguson, Mitch Green and Marvis Frazier. His win streak attracted media attention, leading to his being billed as the next great heavyweight champion. D'Amato died in November 1985, relatively early into Tyson's professional career; some speculate that his death was the genesis of many of the troubles Tyson was to experience later as his life and career progressed.^[17]

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. Tyson knocked down Ferguson with an uppercut in the fifth round that broke Ferguson's nose.^[18] 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. Initially ruled a win for Tyson by disqualification (DQ) of his opponent, the ruling was subsequently "adjusted" as 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. The rationale offered for the revised outcome was that the fight was actually stopped because Ferguson could not (rather than would not) continue boxing.

On November 22, 1986, Tyson was given his first title fight against Trevor Berbick for the World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight championship. Tyson won the title by second round TKO, and at the age of 20 years and 4 months became the youngest heavyweight champion in history.^[19] Tyson's dominant performance brought many accolades. Donald Saunders wrote: "The noble and manly art of boxing can at least cease worrying about its immediate future, now [that] it has discovered a heavyweight champion fit to stand alongside Dempsey, Tunney, Louis, Marciano and Ali."^[20]

Because of Tyson's strength, many fighters were intimidated by him.^[21] This was backed up by his outstanding hand speed, accuracy, coordination, power, and timing. Tyson was also noted for his defensive abilities.^[22] Holding his hands high in the Peek-a-Boo style taught by his mentor Cus D'Amato, he slipped and weaved out of the way of the opponent's punches while closing the distance to deliver his own punches.^[22] One of Tyson's trademark combinations was to throw a right hook to his opponent's body, then follow it up with a right uppercut to his opponent's chin; very few boxers would remain standing if caught by this combination. Boxers knocked down with this combination include Jesse Ferguson and Jose Ribalta.

Undisputed champion[link]

See also: Mike Tyson vs. Michael Spinks

Expectations for Tyson were extremely high, and he embarked on an ambitious campaign to fight all the top heavyweights in the world. Tyson defended his title against James Smith on March 7, 1987, in Las Vegas, Nevada. He won by unanimous decision and added Smith's World Boxing Association (WBA) title to his existing belt.^[23] 'Tyson mania' in the media was becoming rampant.^[24] He beat Pinklon Thomas in May with a knockout in the sixth round.^[25] On August 1 he took the International Boxing Federation (IBF) title from Tony Tucker in a twelve round unanimous decision.^[26] He became the first heavyweight to own all three major belts – WBA, WBC, and IBF – at the same time. Another fight, in October of that year, ended with a victory for Tyson over 1984 Olympics Super Heavyweight gold medalist Tyrell Biggs by knockout in the seventh round.^[27]

During this time, Tyson came to the attention of gaming company Nintendo: after witnessing one of Tyson's fights, Nintendo of America president Minoru Arakawa was impressed by the fighter's "power and skill", prompting him to suggest Tyson be included in the upcoming Nintendo Entertainment System port of the Punch Out!! arcade game. The idea was implemented, and in 1987 Nintendo released Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!, which was well received and sold more than a million copies.^[28]

Tyson had three fights in 1988. He faced Larry Holmes on January 22, 1988, and defeated the legendary former champion by a fourth round KO.^[29] This was the only knockout loss Holmes suffered in 75 professional bouts. In March, Tyson then fought contender Tony Tubbs in Tokyo, Japan, fitting in an easy two-round victory amid promotional and marketing work.^[30]

On June 27, 1988, Tyson faced Michael Spinks. Spinks, who had taken the heavyweight championship from Larry Holmes via a 15-round decision in 1985, had not lost his title in the ring but was not recognized as champion by the major boxing organizations. Holmes had previously given up all but the IBF title, and that was eventually stripped from Spinks after he elected to fight Gerry Cooney (winning by a 5th-round TKO) rather than IBF Number 1 Contender Tony Tucker, as the Cooney fight provided him a larger purse. However, Spinks did become the lineal champion by beating Holmes and many (including Ring magazine) considered him to have a legitimate claim to being the true heavyweight champion. The bout was, at the time, the richest fight in history and expectations were very high. Boxing pundits were predicting a titanic battle of styles, with Tyson's aggressive infighting conflicting with Spinks' skillful outfighting and footwork. The fight ended after 91 seconds when Tyson knocked Spinks out in the first round; many consider this to be the pinnacle of Tyson's fame and boxing ability.^[31][32] Spinks, previously unbeaten, would never fight professionally again.

Controversy and upset[link]

During this period, Tyson's problems outside boxing were also starting to emerge. His marriage to Robin Givens was heading for divorce,^[33] and his future contract was being fought over by Don King and Bill Cayton.^[34] In late 1988, Tyson parted with manager Bill Cayton and fired longtime trainer Kevin Rooney, the man many credit for honing Tyson's craft after the death of D'Amato.^[22] Without Rooney, Tyson's personal discipline declined.^[35] In 1989, Tyson had only two fights amid personal turmoil. He faced the popular British boxer Frank Bruno in February in a fight where Bruno managed to stun Tyson at the end of the 1st round,^[36] although Tyson went on to knock out Bruno in the fifth round. Tyson then knocked out Carl "The Truth" Williams in one round in July.^[37]

By 1990, Tyson seemed to have lost direction, and his personal life and training habits were in disarray. He also began to stop throwing to the body behind the jab, using less head movement and few combinations.^[38] This has been attributed to the number of fights Tyson had by 25 years of age. With a 41-1 record Tyson had more pro bouts by his 25th birthday than George Foreman (38), Jack Johnson and Floyd Patterson (each 37), Joe Louis (36), Muhammad Ali (27), Joe Frazier (22), Holyfield (16), Larry Holmes (nine) and Rocky Marciano (six).^[39] In a fight on February 11, 1990, he lost the undisputed championship to Buster Douglas in Tokyo.^[40] Tyson was a huge betting favorite, but Douglas (priced at 42/1) was at an emotional peak after losing his mother to a stroke 23 days prior to the fight, and fought the fight of his life.^[40] Tyson failed to find a way past Douglas's quick jab that had a 12-inch (30 cm) reach advantage over his own. Tyson did send Douglas to the floor in the eighth round, catching him with an uppercut, but Douglas recovered sufficiently to hand Tyson a heavy beating in the subsequent two rounds (after the fight, the Tyson camp would complain that the count was slow and that Douglas had taken longer than ten seconds to get to his feet).^[41] Just 35 seconds into the 10th round, Douglas unleashed a brutal combination of hooks that sent Tyson to the canvas for the first time in his career. He was counted out by referee Octavio Meyran.^[40] Though Tyson is alleged to have been out of shape for this fight, he weighed in at 220 and 1/2 pounds, only 2 pounds more than he had weighed when he beat Michael Spinks 20 months earlier. Mentally, however, he was not prepared for the inspired Douglas.^[42]

The knockout victory by Douglas over Tyson, the previously undefeated "baddest man on the planet" and arguably the most feared boxer in professional boxing at that time, has been described as one of the most shocking upsets in modern sports history.^[43]

After Douglas[link]

After the loss, Tyson recovered by knocking out Henry Tillman^[44] and Alex Stewart^[45] in the first round in his next two fights. Tyson's victory over the 1984 Olympics Boxing Heavyweight gold medalist (and 1983 Boxing Heavyweight silver medalist of the Pan American Games) Tillman enabled Tyson to avenge his early career amateur losses at Tillman's hands. These bouts set up an elimination match for another shot at the undisputed world heavyweight championship, which Evander Holyfield had taken from Douglas in his first defense of the title.

Tyson, who was the No.1 contender, faced No.2 contender Donovan "Razor" Ruddock on March 18, 1991, in Las Vegas. Ruddock at the time was seen as the most dangerous heavyweight around and was thought of as one of the hardest punching heavyweights. Tyson and Ruddock went back and forth for most of the fight, until referee Richard Steele controversially stopped the fight during the seventh round in favor of Tyson. This decision infuriated the fans in attendance, sparking a post-fight melee in the audience and the referee had to be escorted from the ring.^[46]

Tyson and Ruddock met again on June 28 that year, with Tyson knocking down Ruddock twice and winning a 12 round unanimous decision.^[47] A fight between Tyson and Holyfield for the undisputed championship was arranged for the autumn of 1991.

The match between Tyson and reigning champion Holyfield did not occur, with Tyson pulling out of the scheduled November 8, 1991 title fight at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, with a rib cartilage injury sustained during training.

Rape conviction, prison, and conversion[link]

Tyson was arrested in July 1991 for the rape of 18-year-old Desiree Washington, Miss Black Rhode Island, in an Indianapolis hotel room. Tyson's rape trial took place in the Indianapolis courthouse from January 26 to February 10, 1992. As part of its case, the prosecution documented Tyson's history of problems with attractive young women. Tyson's defense contended that Tyson was the victim and that Washington was a cold and calculated vixen out to hurt Tyson for publicity.^{[citation needed]}

Desiree Washington testified that she received a phone call from Tyson at 1:36 am on July 19, 1991 inviting her to a party. Having joined Tyson in his limousine, Washington testified that Tyson made sexual advances towards her. She testified that upon arriving at his hotel room, Tyson pinned her down on his bed and raped her despite her pleas to stop. She afterwards ran out of the room and asked Tyson's chauffeur to drive her back to her hotel.^{[citation needed]}

Partial corroboration of Washington's story came via testimony from Tyson's chauffeur, Virginia Foster, who confirmed Desiree Washington's state of shock. Further testimony came from Thomas Richardson, the emergency room physician who examined Washington more than 24 hours after the incident and confirmed that Washington's physical condition was consistent with rape.^[48]

Taking the witness stand, under Tyson's lead defense lawyer Vincent Fuller's direct examination, Tyson claimed that everything had taken place with Washington's full cooperation and he claimed not to have forced himself upon her. When he was cross-examined by the lead prosecutor, Gregory Garrison, Tyson denied claims that he had misled Washington and insisted that she wanted to have sex with him. Because of Tyson's hostile and defensive responses to the questions during cross-examination, some have speculated that his behavior made him unlikable to the jury who saw him as brutish and arrogant.^[49]

Tyson was convicted on the rape charge on February 10, 1992 after the jury deliberated for nearly 10 hours.^[50]

Alan Dershowitz filed an appeal on Tyson's behalf alleging that the victim had a history of at least one false accusation of rape^[51] and that the judge had blocked testimony from witnesses who would have contradicted Washington. The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled against Tyson in a 2–1 vote.^[52]

On March 26, he was sentenced to six years in prison followed by four years on probation.^[53] He was assigned to the Indiana Youth Center (now the Plainfield Correctional Facility) in April 1992,^[54] and he was released in March 1995 after serving three years.^[55] During his incarceration, Tyson converted to Islam.^[56] On July 2, 2010 he visited Mecca to perform the Umrah (Minor Islamic pilgrimage).^[57]

Comeback[link]

Tyson did not fight again until later in 1995 after he was paroled from prison. He had two comeback bouts against Peter McNeeley and Buster Mathis Jr., which he won easily. Interest in Tyson's first comeback fight since his incarceration was high enough that it grossed more than US$96 million worldwide, including a United States record $63 million for PPV television. The fight was purchased by 1.52 million homes, setting both PPV viewership and revenue records for that time.^[58] The brief, 89-second fight wherein McNeeley swiftly crumpled on facing Tyson, elicited criticism that Tyson's management lined up "Tomato Cans", easily defeatable and unworthy boxers for his return.^[59] TV Guide included the Tyson-McNeeley fight in their list of the 50 Greatest TV Sports Moments of All Time in 1998.^[60]

He regained one belt by easily winning the WBC title from Frank Bruno (their second fight) in March 1996 by knocking him out in the third round.^[61] Tyson added the WBA belt by defeating champion Bruce Seldon in one round in September that year. Seldon was severely criticized and mocked in the popular press for seemingly collapsing to innocuous punches from Tyson in the fight.^[62]

Tyson–Holyfield fights[link]

[edit] Tyson vs. Holyfield I

Tyson attempted to defend the WBA title against Evander Holyfield. Holyfield was in the fourth fight of his own comeback after retiring in 1994 following the loss of his championship to Michael Moorer (who subsequently lost to George Foreman by knockout during his first defense). It was said that Don King and others saw Holyfield, the former champion, who was 34 at the time of the fight and a huge underdog, as a washed-up fighter.^[63]

On November 9, 1996, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Tyson faced Holyfield in a title bout dubbed 'Finally.' In a surprising turn of events, Holyfield, who was given virtually no chance to win by numerous commentators,^[64] defeated Tyson by TKO when referee Mitch Halpern stopped the bout in round 11.^[65] Holyfield made history with the upset win by being the second person ever to win a heavyweight championship belt three times, after Muhammad Ali. However Holyfield's victory was marred by allegations from Tyson's camp of Holyfield's frequent headbutts^[66] during the bout. Although the headbutts were ruled accidental by the referee,^[66] they would become a point of contention in the subsequent rematch.^[67]

[edit] Tyson vs. Holyfield II and aftermath

Tyson and Holyfield fought again on June 28, 1997. Originally, Halpern was supposed to be the referee, but after Tyson's camp protested, Halpern stepped aside in favor of Mills Lane.^[68] The highly anticipated rematch was dubbed The Sound and the Fury, and was held at the Las Vegas MGM Grand Garden Arena, site of the first bout. It was a lucrative event, drawing even more attention than the first bout and grossing $100 million. Tyson received $30 million and Holyfield $35 million—the highest paid professional boxing purses ever until 2007.^[69][70] The fight was purchased by 1.99 million households, setting a pay-per-view buy rate record that stood until the May 5, 2007, De La Hoya-Mayweather boxing match.^[70][71]

Soon to become one of the most controversial events in modern sports,^[72] the fight was stopped at the end of the third round, with Tyson disqualified^[73] for biting Holyfield on both ears. The first time he bit him the match was temporarily stopped. Referee Mills Lane deducted two points from Tyson and the fight resumed. However, after the match resumed, Tyson did it again: this time Tyson was disqualified and Holyfield won the match. One bite was severe enough to remove a piece of Holyfield's right ear, which was found on the ring floor after the fight.^[74] Tyson later stated that his actions were retaliation for Holyfield repeatedly headbutting him without penalty.^[67] In the confusion that followed the ending of the bout and announcement of the decision, a near riot erupted in the arena and several people were injured in the ensuing melee.^[75]

Tyson's former trainer, Teddy Atlas, had predicted that Tyson would be disqualified. "He planned this," Atlas said. "That's the only reason he went through with this fight. This was a charade so he could get out and live with himself as long as in his world he would be known as savage and brutal. In his world, he was the man who attacked like an animal and people would say he was trying to annihilate Holyfield, trying to kill him, when nothing could be further from the truth."^[76]

As a subsequent fallout from the incident, US$3 million was immediately withheld from Tyson's $30-million purse by the Nevada state boxing commission (the most it could legally hold back at the time).^[77] Two days after the fight, Tyson issued a statement,^[78] apologizing to Holyfield for his actions and asked not to be banned for life over the incident.^[79] Tyson was roundly condemned in the news media but was not without defenders. Novelist and commentator Katherine Dunn wrote a column that criticized Holyfield's sportsmanship in the controversial bout and charged the news media with being biased against Tyson.^[80]

On July 9, 1997, Tyson's boxing license was rescinded by the Nevada State Athletic Commission in a unanimous voice vote; he was also fined US$3 million and ordered to pay the legal costs of the hearing.^[81] As most state athletic commissions honor sanctions imposed by other states, this effectively made Tyson unable to box in the United States. The revocation was not permanent, as a little more than a year later on October 18, 1998, the commission voted 4–1 to restore Tyson's boxing license.^[82]

During his time away from boxing in 1998, Tyson made a guest appearance at WrestleMania XIV as an enforcer for the main event match between Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin. During this time, Tyson was also an unofficial member of D-Generation X. Tyson was paid $3 million for being guest enforcer of the match at WrestleMania XIV.^[83]

1999 to 2005[link]

After Holyfield[link]

In January 1999, Tyson returned to the ring to fight the South African Francois Botha, in another fight that ended in controversy. While Botha initially controlled the fight, Tyson allegedly attempted to break Botha's arms during a tie-up and both boxers were cautioned by the referee in the ill-tempered bout. Botha was ahead on points on all scorecards and was confident enough to mock Tyson as the fight continued. Nonetheless, Tyson landed a straight right-hand in the fifth round that knocked out Botha.^[84]

Legal problems caught up with Tyson once again. On February 5, 1999, Tyson was sentenced to a year's imprisonment, fined $5,000, and ordered to serve two years probation and perform 200 hours of community service for assaulting two motorists after a traffic accident on August 31, 1998.^[85] He served nine months of that sentence. After his release, he fought Orlin Norris on October 23, 1999. Tyson knocked down Norris with a left hook thrown after the bell sounded to end the first round. Norris injured his knee from the off-the-clinch-punch when he went down and said he was unable to continue the fight. Consequently, the bout was ruled a no contest.^[86]

In 2000, Tyson had three fights. The first was staged at the MEN Arena, Manchester, England against Julius Francis. Following controversy as to whether Tyson should be allowed into the country, he took four minutes to knock out Francis, ending the bout in the second round.^[88] He also fought Lou Savarese in June 2000 in Glasgow, winning in the first round; the fight lasted only 38 seconds. Tyson continued punching after the referee had stopped the fight, knocking the referee to the floor as he tried to separate the boxers.^[89] In October, Tyson fought the similarly controversial Andrzej Gołota,^[90] winning in round three after Gołota refused to continue after his jaw was broken. The result was later changed to no contest after Tyson refused to take a pre-fight drug test and then tested positive for marijuana in a post-fight urine test.^[91] Tyson fought only once in 2001, beating Brian Nielsen in Copenhagen with a seventh round TKO.^[92]

Lewis vs. Tyson[link]

Tyson once again had the opportunity to fight for a heavyweight championship in 2002, against Lennox Lewis, who held the WBC, IBF, IBO & Lineal titles at the time. As promising amateurs, Tyson and Lewis had sparred together at a training camp, in a meeting arranged by Cus D'Amato in 1984.^[93] Tyson sought to fight Lewis in Nevada for a more lucrative box-office venue, but the Nevada boxing commission refused him a license to box as he was facing possible sexual assault charges at the time.^[94]

Two years prior to the bout, in a post-fight interview following the Savarese fight, Tyson had made several inflammatory remarks to Lewis, "I want your heart, I want to eat your children."^[95] On January 22, 2002, a brawl involving the two boxers and their entourages occurred at a press conference held in New York to publicize the planned event.^[96] The melee put to rest any chance of a Nevada fight and alternative arrangements had to be made, with the fight eventually occurring on June 8 at the Pyramid Arena in Memphis, Tennessee. Lewis dominated the fight and knocked out Tyson with a right hook in the eighth round. Tyson was magnanimous after the fight and praised Lewis on his victory.^[97] This fight was the highest-grossing event in pay-per-view history at that time, generating $106.9 million from 1.95 million buys in the USA.^[70][71]

Late career, bankruptcy and retirement[link]

On February 22, 2003, Tyson beat fringe contender Clifford Etienne 49 seconds into round one, once again in Memphis. The pre-fight was marred by rumors of Tyson's lack of fitness and that he took time out from training to party in Las Vegas and get a new facial tattoo.^[98] This would be Tyson's final professional victory in the ring.

In August 2003, after years of financial struggles, Tyson finally filed for bankruptcy.^[99] In 2003, amid all his economic troubles, he was named by Ring Magazine at number 16, right behind Sonny Liston, among the 100 greatest punchers of all time.

On August 13, 2003, Tyson entered the ring for a face to face confrontation against then K-1 fighting phenom Bob Sapp immediately after Sapp's win against Kimo Leopoldo in Las Vegas. K-1 signed Tyson to a contract with the hopes of making a fight happen between the two, but Tyson's status as a convicted felon made him unable to obtain a visa to enter Japan, where the fight would have been most profitable. Alternate locations were discussed, but the fight never came to fruition.^[100] It is unknown if he actually profited from this arrangement.

On July 30, 2004, Tyson faced the British boxer Danny Williams in another comeback fight, this time staged in Louisville, Kentucky. Tyson dominated the opening two rounds. The third round was even, with Williams getting in some clean blows and also a few illegal ones, for which he was penalized. In the fourth round, Tyson was unexpectedly knocked out. After the fight, it was revealed that Tyson was trying to fight on one leg, having torn a ligament in his other knee in the first round. This was Tyson's fifth career defeat.^[101] He underwent surgery for the ligament four days after the fight. His manager, Shelly Finkel, claimed that Tyson was unable to throw meaningful right-hand punches since he had an elbow injury.^[102]

On June 11, 2005, Tyson stunned the boxing world by quitting before the start of the seventh round in a close bout against journeyman Kevin McBride. After losing the third of his last four fights, Tyson said he would quit boxing because he felt he had lost his passion.^[103]

Exhibition tour[link]

To help pay off his debts, Tyson returned to the ring on a world tour in a series of four-round exhibitions against journeyman heavyweight Corey "T-Rex" Sanders in Youngstown, Ohio 2006.^[104] Tyson, without headgear at 5 ft 10.5 in and 216 pounds, was in great shape, but far from his prime against Sanders, with headgear at 6 ft 8 in and 293 pounds, a loser of his last seven pro bouts and nearly blind from a detached retina in his left eye. Tyson appeared to be "holding back" in these exhibitions to prevent an early end to the "show". "If I don't get out of this financial quagmire there's a possibility I may have to be a punching bag for somebody. The money I make isn't going to help my bills from a tremendous standpoint, but I'm going to feel better about myself. I'm not going to be depressed," explained Tyson about the reasons for his "comeback".^[105]

Legacy[link]

A 1998 ranking of "The Greatest Heavyweights of All-Time" by Ring magazine placed Tyson at No.14 on the list.^[106] Despite criticism of facing underwhelming competition during his unbeaten run as champion, Tyson's knockout power and intimidation factor made him the sport's most dynamic box office attraction.^[107] Many believe Tyson was the last great heavyweight champion.^[108]

In Ring Magazine's list of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years, released in 2002, Tyson was ranked at No. 72.^[109] He is ranked No. 16 on Ring Magazine's 2003 list of 100 greatest punchers of all time.^[110]

After professional boxing[link]

Tyson in the ring at Las Vegas in October 2006

On the front page of USA Today on June 3, 2005, Tyson was quoted as saying: "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."^[111] Tyson began to spend much of his time tending to his 350 pigeons in Paradise Valley, an upscale enclave near Phoenix, Arizona.^[112]

Tyson has stayed in the limelight by promoting various websites and companies.^[113] In the past Tyson had shunned endorsements, accusing other athletes of putting on a false front to obtain them.^[114] He has also done entertainment boxing shows at a casino in Las Vegas^[115] and started a tour of exhibition bouts to pay off his numerous debts.^[116]

On December 29, 2006, Tyson was arrested in Scottsdale, Arizona, on suspicion of DUI and felony drug possession after he nearly crashed into a police SUV shortly after leaving a nightclub. According to a police probable-cause statement, filed in Maricopa County Superior Court, "[Tyson] admitted to using [drugs] today and stated he is an addict and has a problem."^[117] Tyson pleaded not guilty on January 22, 2007, in Maricopa County Superior Court to felony drug possession and paraphernalia possession counts and two misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence of drugs. On February 8 he checked himself into an in-patient treatment program for "various addictions" while awaiting trial on the drug charges.^[118]

On September 24, 2007, Mike Tyson pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine and driving under the influence. He was convicted of these charges in November 2007 and sentenced to 24 hours in jail, 360 hours community service and 3 years probation. Prosecutors had requested a year-long jail sentence, but the judge praised Tyson for seeking help with his drug problems.^[119]

On November 11, 2009, Mike Tyson was arrested after getting into a scuffle at Los Angeles International airport with a photographer.^[120] No charges were filed.

Tyson appeared on WWE Monday Night Raw as the guest host on January 11, 2010 and even made his return to the ring in a tag team match with Chris Jericho against D-Generation X. At first, the duo had their way until Tyson revealed a DX T-shirt he was wearing underneath a black shirt he was wearing and knocked-out Jericho, which allowed Shawn Michaels to pin Jericho, giving DX the win.

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.^[121]

On August 7, 2011, CBS aired an episode of The Same Name, featuring Mike Tyson.^[122]

This year, Mike participated in the Argentinian dance TV program Bailando 2011

On the January 30, 2012 edition of Monday Night Raw, after ESPN, TMZ, and others had leaked the news earlier in the day, it was confirmed that Tyson will be inducted into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame.

On April 2, 2012 the Brooklyn native was given the honor by the WWE at the American Airlines Arena in Miami. He was inducted by DeGeneration X members Shawn Michaels and Triple H.^[123].

Personal life[link]

Tyson has been legally married three times and has eight children with several different women.

His first marriage was to actress Robin Givens from February 7, 1988 to February 14, 1989.^[33] Givens was known for her work on the sitcom Head of the Class. Tyson's marriage to Givens was especially tumultuous with allegations of violence, spousal abuse and mental instability on Tyson's part.^[124] Matters came to a head when Tyson and Givens gave a joint interview with Barbara Walters on the ABC TV newsmagazine show 20/20 in September 1988, in which Givens described life with Tyson as "torture, pure hell, worse than anything I could possibly imagine."^[125] Givens also described Tyson as "manic depressive" on national television while Tyson looked on with an intent and calm expression.^[124] A month later, Givens announced that she was seeking a divorce from the allegedly abusive Tyson.^[124] They had no children but she claims to have had a miscarriage while Tyson claims she was never pregnant and only used that to get him to marry her.^[124][126] During their marriage, the couple lived in a mansion in Bernardsville, New Jersey.^[127][128]

His second marriage was to Monica Turner from April 19, 1997 to January 14, 2003.^[129] At the time of the divorce filing, Turner worked as a pediatric resident at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington DC.^[130] She is also the sister of Michael Steele, the former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland and former Republican National Committee Chairman.^[131] Turner filed for divorce from Tyson in January 2002, claiming that he committed adultery during their five-year marriage, an act that "has neither been forgiven nor condoned."^[130] The couple had two children: Rayna and Amir.

Tyson appears in the 2009 film The Hangover as a caricature of himself. In the film his character pursues the main characters after they have stolen a tiger from his home. He appears in their hotel room, where he threatens them if they do not return the tiger in one hour, and later at his home when they return the tiger and try to get information from him about their missing friend.

On May 25, 2009, Tyson's 4-year-old daughter, Exodus, was found by her 7-year-old brother, Miguel, unconscious and tangled in a cord, dangling from an exercise treadmill. The child's mother untangled her, administered CPR and called for medical attention. Exodus was listed in "extremely critical condition" and was on life support at Phoenix's St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center. She subsequently died of her injuries on May 26, 2009.^[132][133]

Ten days after his daughter's death, Tyson wed for the third time, to long-time 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 hotel-casino.^[134] Spicer was a resident of nearby suburban Henderson, Nevada. County marriage records in Las Vegas show the couple got a marriage license 30 minutes before their ceremony. Spicer is the mother of Tyson's daughter, Milan and son, Morocco. His other children include Mikey (born 1990), Miguel (born 2002) and D'Amato (born 1990). He has a total of eight children including the deceased Exodus.

Tyson has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.^[135] While on the American talk show The View in early May 2010, Tyson revealed that he is now forced to live paycheck to paycheck.^[136] He went on to say: "I'm totally destitute and broke. But I have an awesome life, I have an awesome wife who cares about me. I'm totally broke. I had a lot of fun. It (losing his money) just happened. I'm very grateful. I don't deserve to have the wife that I have; I don't deserve the kids that I have, but I do, and I'm very grateful."

In March 2011, Tyson appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to discuss his new Animal Planet reality series Taking on Tyson. In the interview with DeGeneres, Tyson discussed some of the ways he had improved his life in the past two years, including sober living and a vegan diet.^[137]

Also, in March 2011, Mike Tyson appeared at the SXSW Screenburn Arcade for the launch of his new iPhone app Mike Tyson: Main Event.^[138]

In May 2011, Tyson sent autographed boxing gloves to soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. 'To Cristiano' is written on the gloves, along with Tyson's signature.^[139]

Also, in May 2011, Tyson was a contestant in the Argentinian dance contest Bailando 2011, and he was paired with his wife, Lahika Spicer. The couple withdrew from the competition after the second round.

In September 2011, Tyson gave an interview in which he made comments about former Alaska governor Sarah Palin that included crude and violent descriptions of interracial sex. These comments were then reprinted on the Daily Caller website. Journalist Greta van Susteren criticized Tyson and the Daily Caller over the comments, which she described as "smut" and "violence against women". ^[140]

In April 2012, Tyson gave an interview in which he made comments about the Trayvon Martin case, telling Yahoo News that "It's a disgrace George Zimmerman hasn't been dragged out of his house and tied to a car and taken away. That's the only kind of retribution that people like that understand. It's a disgrace that man hasn't been shot yet. Forget about him being arrested--the fact that he hasn't been shot yet is a disgrace. That's how I feel personally about it."^[141]

Popular culture[link]

At the height of his fame and career in the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, Tyson was one of the most recognized sports personalities in the world. Apart from his many sporting accomplishments, his outrageous and controversial behavior in the ring and in his private life has kept him in the public eye and in the courtroom.^[142] As such, Tyson has appeared in myriad popular media in cameo appearances in film and television. He has also been featured in video games and as a subject of parody or satire.

Published in 2007, author Joe Layden's book The Last Great Fight: The Extraordinary Tale of Two Men and How One Fight Changed Their Lives Forever, chronicled the lives of Tyson and Douglas before and after their heavyweight championship fight. The book received positive reviews and claimed the fight was essentially the beginning of the end of boxing's popularity in mainstream sports.

In 2008, the documentary Tyson premiered at the annual Cannes Film Festival in France. The film was directed by James Toback and has interviews with Tyson and clips of his fights and from his personal life. It received high critical praise, scoring an 86% approval rating on the website Rotten Tomatoes from a pool of over 100 film critics.

Professional boxing record[link]

50 Wins (44 knockouts, 5 decisions, 1 disqualification), 6 Losses, 0 Draws, 2 No Contests[143]
Result	Record	Opponnent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes
Loss	50–6 2 NC	Kevin McBride	TKO	6 (10)	2005-06-11	MCI Center, Washington, D.C.
Loss	50–5 2 NC	Danny Williams	KO	4 (10)	2004-07-30	Freedom Hall State Fairground, Louisville, Kentucky
Win	50–4 2 NC	Clifford Etienne	KO	1 (10)	2003-02-22	The Pyramid, Memphis, Tennessee
Loss	49–4 2 NC	Lennox Lewis	KO	8 (12)	2002-06-08	The Pyramid, Memphis, Tennessee	For The Ring, WBC, IBO & IBF Heavyweight titles. The Ring Magazine Knockout of the Year.
Win	49–3 2 NC	Brian Nielsen	RTD	7 (10)	2001-10-13	Parken Stadium, Copenhagen
NC	48–3 2 NC	Andrew Golota	NC	3 (10)	2000-10-20	The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan	Michigan Commission changes the result from a TKO victory for Tyson to a NC, due to Tyson testing positive for Cannabis after the fight.
Win	48–3 1 NC	Lou Savarese	TKO	1 (10)	2000-06-24	Hampden Park, Glasgow
Win	47–3 1 NC	Julius Francis	TKO	2 (10)	2000-01-29	M.E.N. Arena, Manchester
NC	46–3 1 NC	Orlin Norris	NC	1 (10)	1999-10-23	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada	Norris was hit and knocked down after the bell, injuring his knee in the fall, resulting in NC.
Win	46–3	Francois Botha	KO	5 (10)	1999-01-16	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Loss	45–3	Evander Holyfield	DQ	3 (12)	1997-06-28	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada	For WBA Heavyweight title. The Ring Magazine Event of the Year.
Loss	45–2	Evander Holyfield	TKO	11 (12)	1996-11-09	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada	Lost WBA Heavyweight title. The Ring Magazine Fight of the Year & Upset Of The Year.
Win	45–1	Bruce Seldon	TKO	1 (12)	1996-09-07	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada	Won WBA Heavyweight title.
Win	44–1	Frank Bruno	TKO	3 (12)	1996-03-16	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada	Won WBC Heavyweight title.
Win	43–1	Buster Mathis, Jr.	KO	3 (12)	1995-12-16	Core States Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Win	42–1	Peter McNeeley	DQ	1 (10)	1995-08-19	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	41–1	Donovan Ruddock	UD	12	1991-06-28	Mirage Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	40–1	Donovan Ruddock	TKO	7 (12)	1991-03-18	Mirage Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	39–1	Alex Stewart	TKO	1 (10)	1990-12-08	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	38–1	Henry Tillman	KO	1 (10)	1990-06-16	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada
Loss	37–1	Buster Douglas	KO	10 (12)	1990-02-11	Tokyo Dome, Tokyo	Lost The Ring, WBC, WBA & IBF Heavyweight titles. The Ring Magazine Upset Of The Year.
Win	37–0	Carl Williams	TKO	1 (12)	1989-07-21	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey	Retained The Ring, WBC, WBA & IBF Heavyweight titles.
Win	36–0	Frank Bruno	TKO	5 (12)	1989-02-25	Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained The Ring, WBC, WBA & IBF Heavyweight titles.
Win	35–0	Michael Spinks	KO	1 (12)	1988-06-27	Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey	Retained WBC, WBA, IBF & won The Ring Heavyweight titles.
Win	34–0	Tony Tubbs	TKO	2 (12)	1988-03-21	Tokyo Dome, Tokyo	Retained WBC, WBA & IBF Heavyweight titles.
Win	33–0	Larry Holmes	TKO	4 (12)	1988-01-22	Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey	Retained WBC, WBA & IBF Heavyweight titles.
Win	32–0	Tyrell Biggs	TKO	7 (12)	1987-10-16	Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey	Retained WBC, WBA & IBF Heavyweight titles.
Win	31–0	Tony Tucker	UD	12	1987-08-01	Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained WBC, WBA & won IBF Heavyweight titles.
Win	30–0	Pinklon Thomas	TKO	6 (12)	1987-05-30	Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained WBC & WBA Heavyweight titles.
Win	29–0	James Smith	UD	12	1987-03-07	Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada	Retained WBC & won WBA Heavyweight titles.
Win	28–0	Trevor Berbick	TKO	2 (12)	1986-11-22	Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada	Won WBC Heavyweight title.
Win	27–0	Alfonso Ratliff	TKO	2 (10)	1986-09-06	Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada
Win	26–0	José Ribalta	TKO	10 (10)	1986-08-17	Trump Plaza Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	25–0	Marvis Frazier	KO	1 (10)	1986-07-26	Civic Center, Glens Falls, New York
Win	24–0	Lorenzo Boyd	KO	2 (10)	1986-07-11	Stevensville Hotel, Swan Lake, New York
Win	23–0	William Hosea	KO	1 (10)	1986-06-28	Houston Field House, Troy, New York
Win	22–0	Reggie Gross	TKO	1 (10)	1986-06-13	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win	21–0	Mitch Green	UD	10	1986-05-20	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Win	20–0	James Tillis	UD	10	1986-05-09	Civic Center, Glens Falls, New York
Win	19–0	Steve Zouski	KO	3 (10)	1986-03-10	Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York
Win	18–0	Jesse Ferguson	TKO	6 (10)	1986-02-16	Houston Field House, Troy, New York
Win	17–0	Mike Jameson	TKO	5 (8)	1986-01-24	Trump Plaza Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	16–0	David Jaco	TKO	1 (10)	1986-01-11	Plaza Convention Center, Albany, New York
Win	15–0	Mark Young	TKO	1 (10)	1985-12-27	Latham Coliseum, Latham, New York
Win	14–0	Sammy Scaff	TKO	1 (10)	1985-12-06	Felt Forum, New York, New York
Win	13–0	Conroy Nelson	TKO	2 (8)	1985-11-22	Latham Coliseum, Latham, New York
Win	12–0	Eddie Richardson	KO	1 (8)	1985-11-13	Ramada-Houston Hotel, Houston, Texas
Win	11–0	Sterling Benjamin	TKO	1 (8)	1985-11-01	Latham Coliseum, Latham, New York
Win	10–0	Robert Colay	KO	1 (8)	1985-10-25	Atlantis Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	9–0	Donnie Long	TKO	1 (6)	1985-10-09	Trump Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	8–0	Michael Johnson	KO	1 6)	1985-09-05	Atlantis Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	7–0	Lorenzo Canady	KO	1 (6)	1985-08-15	Resorts International, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	6–0	Larry Sims	KO	3 (6)	1985-07-19	Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie, New York
Win	5–0	John Alderson	TKO	2 (6)	1985-07-11	Trump Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	4–0	Ricardo Spain	TKO	1 (6)	1985-06-20	Resorts International, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Win	3–0	Don Halpin	KO	4 (4)	1985-05-23	Albany, New York
Win	2–0	Trent Singleton	TKO	1 (4)	1985-04-10	Albany, New York
Win	1–0	Hector Mercedes	TKO	1 (4)	1985-03-06	Plaza Convention Center, Albany, New York	Tyson's professional debut.