But could it have been so much more? Mike Tyson was born in 1966, in Brooklyn. At the height of his boxing powers, he dispatched his opponents with a brutal and convincing style. I still remember watching him beat Trevor Berbick, watching from home when he was a kid. Berbick didn’t stand a chance, and because he couldn’t get up, Mike Tyson was crowned the youngest heavyweight champion in history.
Unfortunately, Mike’s boxing career was deeply affected by personal problems and incidents that led to his time in prison. He never managed to reach the previous heights after his time in prison, but the anticipation of the enigma taking shape again lingered for a long time. I think everything was clear for Mike in terms of regaining dominance when he couldn’t beat Lennox Lewis. He gave Mike Tyson a beating that he would never have taken early in his career.
In 2003 Mike Tyson filed for bankruptcy. In the same year he was also named number 16 of the 100 greatest punchers in boxing history.
Despite some relatively quick wins late in his career, he lost to Danny Williams in round 4, having been knocked out by his opponent. It later became clear that this surprising result was the result of a hampered Mike Tyson who tore a ligament in an earlier round.
In June 2005 Mike Tyson announced his retirement, having lost 3 of his last 4 fights. He is now registered as a referee for mixed martial arts councils and keeps his face in the public eye by promoting various companies and websites.
One can only imagine what Mike Tyson could have accomplished without the personal issues, without the incarceration, and without more dedication to his sport.
Muhammed Ali may have been the greatest, but Tyson was arguably the most destructive heavyweight of modern times.
