A Look Back At Life of a Truly Dominating Boxer

By: Joel Neuschwander

“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

Those famous words were uttered by former heavyweight champion, Mike Tyson, in October 1987. This quote and others, typify the life and career of the hard-nosed boxer.

Tyson turns 50 years old on June 30th.  As the latest chapter of his life begins, let’s go back to how he got here.

Michael Gerard Tyson was born on June 30th, 1966, in Brooklyn, New York. When Tyson was 2, his father, Jimmy Kirkpatrick, abandoned the family, leaving Tyson and his two siblings in the care of his mother.

Growing up in the rugged Brooklyn streets, Tyson often found himself in trouble with the law as a member of several gangs. Before the age of 13, he had been arrested more than 30 times, according to www.biography.com.

These problems led Tyson to the Tryon School for Boys in upstate New York where he met someone who would change his life forever. Counselor, Bob Stewart, a former amateur boxing champion, agreed to teach Tyson how to fight, on the condition that Tyson would stay out of trouble.

Tyson trained with Stewart, and in 1980, Stewart introduced Tyson to acclaimed boxing manager Constantine D’Amato. D’Amato was well-aware of Tyson’s past, and told him, “If you want to stay here, and if you want to listen, you could be the world heavyweight champion someday.”

Tyson gained many things over the course of his relationship with D’Amato, including undergoing a rigorous training schedule every day. Tyson was regularly entered into amateur boxing matches.

After Tyson failed to make the 1984 US Olympic team, D’Amato realized it was time for his fighter to turn professional.

Tyson made his professional debut on March 6th, 1985 and quickly became feared around the boxing world for intimidating his opponents. This lead to the nickname “Iron Mike.”

However, Tyson was shattered by the loss of former manager D’Amato in late 1985. Despite a 22-0 record at that point in his career, Tyson’s personal life took center stage.

For the next three years, Tyson was involved in several legal disputes, and his status as the sport’s most dominant figure was slipping. In an excerpt from his autobiography Undisputed Truth, Tyson said, “I didn’t want to fight; all I was interested in then was partying and women.”

And then, on February 11th, 1990, what before seemed impossible, happened. Buster Douglas defeated the previously unbeaten Tyson, earning the championship belt.

The downfall didn’t stop there. A year later, Tyson was accused of raping Desiree Washington and served three years in prison.

Things seemed to hit rock bottom, but after several victories in his return to boxing, Tyson was set to battle Evander Holyfield for the Heavyweight Title.

Despite the fact that Tyson returned to the forefront of boxing, he lost the fight to Holyfield. In the process, he bit off a piece of Holyfield’s ear. Although he claimed it was retaliation for a previous fight, Tyson’s boxing license was revoked.

Tyson eventually regained his license to fight, but never again reached the level he had before. In 2003, the troubled boxer filed for bankruptcy. After several trials and unreasonable spending, Tyson sold his mansion in Connecticut to help pay off his debts.

According to www.earlytorise.com, Tyson made over $300 million in his career, only to end up broke. Due to his legal matters, divorce, and poor decisions outside of the ring, many who followed his life believe he could’ve reached a higher peak had he stayed out of trouble.

For these reasons, Tyson remains a controversial figure to this day.