- published: 01 Oct 2011
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Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson (/ˈtaɪsən/; born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer. He held the undisputed world heavyweight championship 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, 12 of them 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. This made him the first heavyweight boxer to simultaneously hold the WBA, WBC and IBF titles, and the only heavyweight to successively unify them.
In 1988, Tyson became the lineal champion when he knocked out Michael Spinks in 91 seconds. Tyson successfully defended the world heavyweight championship nine times, including victories over Larry Holmes and Frank Bruno. In 1990, he lost his titles to underdog James "Buster" Douglas, by knockout in round 10. Attempting to regain the titles, he defeated Donovan Ruddock twice in 1991, but pulled out of a fight with undisputed heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield due to injury. In 1992, Tyson was convicted of raping Desiree Washington and 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, he won the WBC and WBA titles after defeating Frank Bruno and Bruce Seldon by knockout. With his defeat of Bruno, Tyson joined Floyd Patterson, Muhammad Ali, Tim Witherspoon, Evander Holyfield, and George Foreman as the only men in boxing history to that point to have regained a heavyweight championship after having lost it. After being stripped of the WBC title, Tyson lost his WBA crown to Evander Holyfield in November 1996 by an eleventh-round TKO. Their 1997 rematch ended when Tyson was disqualified for biting part of Holyfield's ear off.
Actors: Sean McNamara (director), Bruce D. Johnson (producer), Kristin M. Burke (costume designer), Scott Bakula (actor), Randy Travis (actor), Gregory Hobson (editor), Sean McNamara (producer), Sean McNamara (actor), Troy Evans (actor), Dick Martin (actor), Ron Perlman (actor), David Graf (actor), Kathy Garver (actress), John Schuck (actor), E.J. Callahan (actor),
Plot: Inspired by a true story set in Missouri, "The Trial of Old Drum" tells the story of a valiant golden retriever, Old Drum, an orphan dog that becomes a boy's best friend and is then forced to stand trial for killing a neighbor's sheep. Charlie Burden ['Bobby Edner' (qv)] is a typical eleven-year old boy growing up on a farm in Western Missouri. His summer days are spent helping his dad ['Ron Perlman' (qv)] run the family farm, while also finding time to go fishing at nearby Miller's Lake, always accompanied by his faithful golden retriever, Old Drum. Scheming with his best friend Dee ['Alia Shawkat' (qv)] to build a secret raft, Charlie nearly drowns, only to be rescued by Old Drum. But Charlie's life is turned upside down when his cantankerous Uncle Lon ['John Schuck' (qv)] accuses Old Drum of killing his sheep. The town is divided over Drum's guilt or innocence, and an old family wound begins to fester. Losing sheep in this part of the country is not taken lightly. Looking to rid the town of a sheep killing menace, Lon files a lawsuit seeking to have Old Drum put to death. Desperate to save Old Drum, Charlie and his father try to obtain the services of one of the state's best known lawyers, George Graham Vest ['Scott Bakula' (qv)]. At first hesitant, Vest is genuinely moved by Charlie's pleas to save his dog and agrees to take the case. As the trial progresses, the evidence mounts against Old Drum. Having exhausted all legal maneuvering, Vest has one chance left; his closing argument. Vest knows that this speech is a matter of life and death for Old Drum. As he turns to face the jury, he instills in the community and forever memorializes the phrase that "A dog is a man's best friend."
Keywords: 1950s, affection, boy, child's-point-of-view, dog, golden-retriever, independent-film, lawyer, neighbor, trial