When Did Mike Tyson Start Boxing? One of the most popular and talked-about boxers of all time is Mike Tyson. At the age of 20, he became the youngest heavyweight winner in history. For a few years, he ruled the sport. But when did he start boxing? How did he become famous?
The Beginning Years
Mike Tyson was born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 30, 1966. He had a rough childhood and got into a lot of fights and stolen things. He was jailed 38 times before he was 13 years old and sent to a better school in upstate New York.
There, he met Bobby Stewart, a counselor who used to be a boxer, and saw his promise. He taught him the basics of boxing. Then Stewart put him in touch with the famous trainer and boss Cus D’Amato. D’Amato took Tyson under his wing and legally became his guardian.
D’Amato taught Tyson his famous “peek-a-boo” style of boxing, which worked well for his short height and powerful punches. He also taught him to work hard and have a lot of confidence.
The Amateur Career
Tyson began boxing as a beginner in 1981 when he was 15 years old. In both 1981 and 1982, he won the gold medal at the Junior Olympic Games. After 24 wins and 3 losses, he had a great record. 21 of his wins were by knockout.
The National Golden Gloves and the Olympic trials were also held for him, but he did not make it to the 1984 Olympics because of a controversial ruling. He then chose to become a professional when he was 18.
The Professional Career
Tyson’s first fight as a professional was in Albany, New York, on March 6, 1985. Once he beat Hector Mercedes in the first round, he became a rising star very quickly. After 19 fights, he was knocked out 12 times in the first round.
When he knocked out Trevor Berbick in the second round on November 22, 1986, he became the youngest heavyweight winner in history. He won the WBC, WBA, and IBF titles all at the same time in 1987 and 1988 by beating James Smith, Tony Tucker, and Michael Spinks.
Many people thought he was the best boxer in the world and one of the scariest artists ever. He had won 37 times and lost none by the end of 1988.
The Downfall
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Tyson’s life and business began to get out of hand. He had problems in his personal life, like getting divorced from actor Robin Givens, fighting with his promoter Don King in court, and being found guilty of rape in 1992.
On top of that, Buster Douglas shocked everyone in 1990 by beating him and taking away his titles and perfect record. For the rape charge, he went to jail for three years. In 1995, he started boxing again. In 1996, he beat Frank Bruno and Bruce Seldon to get back two of his titles.
The next fight was against Evander Holyfield, who had beaten Douglas to become the undisputed king. Holyfield stopped Tyson in the eleventh round of their first fight in November 1996. In their second fight, in June 1997, Tyson famously bit off a piece of Holyfield’s ear and was kicked out of the fight.
He couldn’t box for a year and was fined $3 million for what he did. He started working again in 1999, but he never reached the heights of his great years. In 2002 and 2004, he lost to Lennox Lewis, and in 2005, he lost to Kevin McBride.
After losing to McBride, he said he was quitting fighting because he no longer loved it. He won 50 fights and lost 6, and 44 of those wins were by knockout.
The Comeback
Tyson had a lot of money and emotional problems after he stopped boxing. In 2003, he filed for bankruptcy. He had problems with depression and drug abuse, and in 2009, his daughter Exodus died in a terrible accident.
There were also movies and TV shows with him, like The Hangover, Mike Tyson Mysteries, and Ip Man 3. Besides that, he wrote an autobiography called Undisputed Truth and did a one-man show based on it.
In 2020, when he was 54 years old, he announced that he was going to start boxing again as part of the Legends Only League. This is a way for retired athletes to participate again. In a show match on November 28, 2020, he faced Roy Jones Jr., who was also a former champion.
After eight rounds, the fight finished in a tie, but both fighters were praised for how well they fought and how fit they were. Tyson said that he liked the fight and wanted to keep fighting for good causes.
Conclusion
One of the most important and controversial people in fighting history is Mike Tyson. He began fighting when he was young and went on to win the world title and become a famous star. He also had to deal with a lot of problems and problems in his life and work.
Now that he’s back in the ring, he can show how passionate and skilled he is. He is also an important part of culture and pop culture, and many people look up to him. He is the perfect example of being strong, forgiving, and starting over.