The Meteoric Rise and Fall of Iron Mike Tyson

Although many in the boxing world mock and sneer at the circus sideshow that was Mike Tyson's boxing career over his last few years of activity, a period of time that saw Tyson lose unceremoniously to two low-level fighters, spend a few stints in prison, and be on the verge of bankruptcy despite earning mega-millions, the real Mike Tyson, the Mike Tyson of the late 1980's, was a phenomenal fighter who deserves to be ranked alongside boxing history's greatest fighters.

In November of 1986, Mike Tyson, at the age of 20, became the youngest heavyweight champion in history when he knocked out Trevor Berbick in two rounds in Las Vegas. Over the course of the next three years, Tyson cleaned out the heavyweight division. With a blistering combination of hand speed and phenomenal punching power, along with a vastly underrated defense, Tyson stormed through his opposition like an out-of-control freight train. Most of his fights ended in early knockouts; it was rare for a Mike Tyson fight to go beyond five rounds. And in Mike Tyson's so-called "signature fight," that one fight that every aspiring great fighter has to have on their resume, Mike Tyson obliterated Michael Spinks in a mere 93-seconds! Tyson's future appeared limitless.

With a level of fistic ferocity and explosiveness unseen in the annals of the heavyweight boxing division, Mike Tyson was a wrecking machine in black trunks. And Tyson's management team of Bill Cayton and Kevin Rooney, who had guided and shaped Tyson's boxing career from day one, were instrumental in keeping Tyson focused on his boxing career and training. Under the leadership of both of these very capable men, Tyson was at the apex of his powers. It appeared that Tyson could reign unchallenged as heavyweight champion for as long as he cared to. But soon, a negative influence managed to creep in on the Tyson Family and the boxing career of the sport's biggest star soon took a nosedive.