A look at the notorious rise and fall of former Heavyweight Kingpin Mike Tyson
When boxing historians look back at the incredibly strange career of "Iron Mike" what will they remember most? Will it be the peak of his stardom, destroying Michael Spinks in 91 seconds, or will they remember the Mike Tyson that bit the ear of Evander Holyfield in the most bizarre moment in boxing history. Probably a bit of both. Throughout his career, and even now, Tyson has always had those who love him, and those who hate him.
The naysayers claim Tyson exposed a weak heavyweight division in the late 80's, and crumbled when someone decided to fight back, such as James "Buster" Douglas, who pulled off possibly the most incredible upset in sports history, when he knocked-out the invincible "Iron Mike" in Tokyo. On the other hand, many boxing experts claim Tyson at his best was as good as their has ever been in the sport. He had the total package, unhuman strength, speed, and agility.
In his prime many claim he would have destroyed Lennox Lewis or Evander Holyfield inside three rounds. Both of these groups have equally persuasive arguments, but the end result of where Mike Tyson goes down in boxing history will be somewhere in between. In his early days, Tyson had a devastating combination of power and handspeed that had not previously been seen by any heavyweight fighter, ever. He struck fear in the eyes of his opponents, just by entering the squared-circle.
Tyson's downfall was probably caused by a mixture of many things. The persuasion of Don King, the loss of his father-figure Cus D'Amato, and the firing of his trainer, Kevin Rooney. Possibly the saddest part of Tyson's up and down lifetime is that after making hundreds of millions of dollars, he is completely broke. He pushed away those who truly cared about him, and didn't realize what he had done until it was too late.
Tyson has remained a prominent figure in popular culture, despite not being a top fighter since early in this decade. There is something many people see in Mike Tyson that makes them cheer and root for him. In the ring, in life, people have found a soft spot for the outlandish Mike Tyson.
Thankfully, Tyson has seemed to find his inner-spirit, removing himself from the limelight. His money problems most likely forced him to fight long after he had the stomach for it. Although Tyson may not have been the model citizen people would have liked him to be, all boxing fans can appreciate his undeniable talents in the ring. And hopefully, Mike Tyson can be remembered for what he was at his best: Scary Good. Put 1988 Mike Tyson up against any heavyweight in the history of the sport, and there is a good arument for "Iron Mike."
