Despite this loss, Tyson continued to storm through the heavyweight division. One year after D’Amato’s death, Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion ever when he gained the World Boxing Council (WBC) championship belt after a two-round knockout of Trevor Berbick. Co-Manager Jimmy Jacobs told Pat Putnam of Sports Illustrated that everything was going to plan: “Cus predicted that Mike would fight for the title before the end of 1986…Cus said the only way to prepare Mike for this was to give him a speed education by a multiple of four. So there has been no R and R for Mike. There couldn’t be. And he has held up beautifully.” The next year he united the heavyweight championship, defeating James “Bonecrusher” Smith for the World Boxing Association (WBA) belt in March and Tony Tucker for the International 160 lb boxing division Federation (IBF) belt in August. Tyson was on top of the boxing world as the most ferocious boxer in the sport’s most glamorous division. But he soon learned that success often comes at a price.
Easy victories followed. On March 16, 1996, Tyson fought the tough talking but weak-chinned Englishman Frank Bruno. Clearly frightened in the ring, Bruno was repeatedly warned for clinching in the first two rounds of the fight. Tyson battered Bruno in the third, sending him sliding incoherently down the ropes 50 seconds into the round. On September 7, 1996, Tyson knocked out Bruce Seldon in 109 seconds. Many spectators and fans watching the pay-per-view event thought the fight was fixed because few saw Tyson punch Seldon, but Seldon’s trainer said that his man was so scared that he may have had a nervous breakdown. This string of fights earned Tyson some $65 million dollars.
Earlier this month, Jake Paul appeared in social media videos sitting in a tattoo parlor, with the artist applying what seemed like an identical design to the one already synonymous with Mike Tyson. It was quickly revealed to be the same tribal pattern that Tyson has on the left side of his face, a tattoo the former boxer first got in 2003.
Tyson’s personal life was marred by failed relationships, including a tumultuous marriage to Robin Givens. His behavior outside the ring often made headlines, and he faced allegations of domestic violence. In 1992, Tyson was convicted of rape and served three years in prison.
Tyson regained one belt by easily winning the WBC title against Frank Bruno in March 1996. It was the second fight between the two, and Tyson knocked out Bruno in the third round. In 1996, Lennox Lewis turned down a $13.5 million guarantee to fight Tyson. This would’ve been Lewis’s highest fight purse to date. Lewis then accepted $4 million from Don King to step aside and allow Tyson to fight Bruce Seldon for an expected $30 million instead with the intention that if Tyson defeated Seldon, he would fight Lewis next. Tyson added the WBA belt by defeating champion Seldon in the first round in September that year. Seldon was severely criticized and mocked in the popular press for seemingly collapsing to innocuous punches from Tyson.
Zhang was highly regarded by American promoters by 2009 but his career stalled between 2009 and 2019 owing to a combination of his duties to Chinese national boxing obligations, mismanagement and accompanying legal issues, and his visa problems. Until Zhang signed with Matchroom Sport USA in 2020 at 37 years of age, he was excluded from boxing’s top ranks.
Tyson and Turner had two kids together as Turner trained to become a pediatrician. But their marriage hit the rocks, and in 2002, she filed for divorce on grounds of his alleged adultery. It took a year to work out the dissolution of their marriage. A judge officially granted their divorce in early 2003.
Zhang’s professional journey began in August 2014, marking over nine years of dedication and relentless pursuit of excellence. With 25 wins, 1 loss, and 1 draw under his belt, he has proven his mettle time and again. What truly sets him apart is his remarkable knockout ratio of 80%, having stopped 20 of his opponents in their tracks. This statistic showcases his power and ability to end fights decisively.
Joyce was looking for the quickest route possible to a world title shot after turning professional late, following his silver-medal achievement at the 2016 Olympics. But a lack of head movement cost Joyce, and he has now slipped further along the queue for a title shot.
Sein wohl auffälligstes Tattoo hat er aber in seinem Gesicht – ganz genau über, unter und links von seinem linken Auge. 2003, unmittelbar vor einem Kampf gegen Clifford Etienne, ließ er sich dort ein Kriegssymbol der neuseeländischen Maori stechen.
“A week later he fought and knocked out Clifford in one round and I was upset. I was happy for Mike that he won, but I was also upset that I had trained him for eight weeks and I wasn’t part of that win.”
Tyson got the tattoo done a week before the fight, and because of his lack of conditioning, he was asked to cancel the fight. However, Tyson decided to go forward with it and broke everyone’s expectations by defeating Etienne in 49 seconds.