Career Amateur career Tyson won gold medals at the 1981 and 1982 Junior Olympic Games, defeating

Joe Corte in 1981 and !eating "elton #rown in 1982$ #rown%s corner threw in the towel in the first round$ &e holds the Junior Olympic record for 'uic(est (noc(out )8 seconds*$ &e won e+ery !out at the Junior Olympic Games !y (noc(out$ &e fought &enry Tillman twice as an amateur, losing !oth !outs !y close decision$ Tillman went on to win hea+yweight gold at the 198, -ummer Olympics in .os Angeles$ /ise to stardom 0ain article1 Tre+or #er!ic( +s$ 0i(e Tyson Tyson made his professional de!ut as an 182year2old on 0arch 3, 1984, in Al!any, 5ew 6or($ &e defeated &ector 0ercedes +ia a first round (noc(out$7128 &e had 14 !outs in his first year as a professional$ 9ighting fre'uently, Tyson won 23 of his first 28 fights !y "O or T"O: 13 of those came in the first round$ 7228 The 'uality of his opponents gradually increased to ;ourneyman fighters and !orderline contenders, 7228 li(e James Tillis, <a+id Jaco, Jesse 9erguson, 0itch Green and 0ar+is 9ra ier$ &is win strea( attracted media attention and Tyson was !illed as the ne=t great hea+yweight champion$ <%Amato died in 5o+em!er 1984, relati+ely early into Tyson%s professional career: some speculate that his death was the genesis of many of the trou!les Tyson was to e=perience as his life and career progressed$72>8 Tyson%s first nationally tele+ised !out too( place on 9e!ruary 13, 1983, at &ouston 9ield &ouse in Troy, 5ew 6or( against ;ourneyman hea+yweight Jesse 9erguson$ Tyson (noc(ed down 9erguson with an uppercut in the fifth round that !ro(e 9erguson%s nose$72,8 <uring the si=th round, 9erguson !egan to hold and clinch Tyson in an apparent attempt to a+oid further punishment$ After admonishing 9erguson se+eral times to o!ey his commands to !o=, the referee finally stopped the fight near the middle of the si=th round$ The fight was initially ruled a win for Tyson !y dis'ualification )<?* of his opponent$ The ruling was @ad;usted@ to a win !y technical (noc(out )T"O* after Tyson%s corner protested that a <? win would end Tyson%s string of (noc(out +ictories, and that a (noc(out would ha+e !een the ine+ita!le result$ The rationale offered for the re+ised outcome was that the fight was actually stopped !ecause 9erguson could not )rather than would not* continue !o=ing$ On 5o+em!er 22, 1983, Tyson was gi+en his first title fight against Tre+or #er!ic( for the Aorld #o=ing Council )A#C* hea+yweight championship$ Tyson won the title !y second round T"O, and at the age of 2B years and , months !ecame the youngest hea+yweight champion in history$7248 Tyson%s dominant performance !rought many accolades$ <onald -aunders wrote1 @The no!le and manly art of !o=ing can at least cease worrying a!out its immediate future, now 7that8 it has disco+ered a hea+yweight champion fit to stand alongside <empsey, Tunney, .ouis, 0arciano and Ali$@7238 #ecause of Tyson%s strength, many fighters were intimidated !y him$72C8 This was !ac(ed up !y his outstanding hand speed, accuracy, coordination, power, and timing$ Tyson was also noted for his defensi+e a!ilities$7288 &olding his hands high in the Dee(2a2#oo style taught !y his mentor Cus <%Amato, he slipped and wea+ed out of the way of the opponent%s punches while closing the distance to deli+er his own punches$7288 One of Tyson%s trademar( com!inations was a right hoo( to his opponent%s !ody followed !y a right uppercut to his opponent%s chin: +ery few !o=ers would remain standing if caught !y this com!ination$ .oren o #oyd, Jesse 9erguson and Jose /i!alta were among the !o=ers (noc(ed down !y the com!ination$ Endisputed champion -ee also1 0i(e Tyson +s$ James -mith, 0i(e Tyson +s$ Tony Tuc(er, and 0i(e Tyson +s$ 0ichael -pin(s F=pectations for Tyson were e=tremely high, and he em!ar(ed on an am!itious campaign to fight all of the top hea+yweights in the world$ Tyson defended his title against James -mith on 0arch C, 198C, in .as Gegas, 5e+ada$ &e won !y unanimous decision and added -mith%s Aorld #o=ing Association )A#A* title

to his e=isting !elt$7298 %Tyson mania% in the media was !ecoming rampant$7>B8 &e !eat Din(lon Thomas in 0ay with a (noc(out in the si=th round$7>18 On August 1 he too( the Hnternational #o=ing 9ederation )H#9* title from Tony Tuc(er in a twel+e round unanimous decision$7>28 &e !ecame the first hea+yweight to own all three ma;or !elts I A#A, A#C, and H#9 I at the same time$ Another fight, in Octo!er of that year, ended with a +ictory for Tyson o+er 198, Olympic super hea+yweight gold medalist Tyrell #iggs !y (noc(out in the se+enth round$7>>8 <uring this time, Tyson came to the attention of gaming company 5intendo$ After witnessing one of Tyson%s fights, 5intendo of America president 0inoru Ara(awa was impressed !y the fighter%s @power and s(ill@, prompting him to suggest Tyson !e included in the upcoming 5intendo Fntertainment -ystem port of the Dunch OutJJ arcade game$ Hn 198C, 5intendo released 0i(e Tyson%s Dunch2OutJJ, which was well recei+ed and sold more than a million copies$7>,8 Tyson had three fights in 1988$ &e faced .arry &olmes on January 22, 1988, and defeated the legendary former champion !y a fourth round "O$7>48 This was the only (noc(out loss &olmes suffered in C4 professional !outs$ Hn 0arch, Tyson then fought contender Tony Tu!!s in To(yo, Japan, fitting in an easy two2round +ictory amid promotional and mar(eting wor($7>38 On June 2C, 1988, Tyson faced 0ichael -pin(s$ -pin(s, who had ta(en the hea+yweight championship from .arry &olmes +ia a 142round decision in 1984, had not lost his title in the ring !ut was not recogni ed as champion !y the ma;or !o=ing organi ations$ &olmes had pre+iously gi+en up all !ut the H#9 title, and that was e+entually stripped from -pin(s after he elected to fight Gerry Cooney )winning !y a 4th2round T"O* rather than H#9 5um!er 1 Contender Tony Tuc(er, as the Cooney fight pro+ided him a larger purse$ &owe+er, -pin(s did !ecome the lineal champion !y !eating &olmes and many )including /ing maga ine* considered him to ha+e a legitimate claim to !eing the true hea+yweight champion$ The !out was, at the time, the richest fight in history and e=pectations were +ery high$ #o=ing pundits were predicting a titanic !attle of styles, with Tyson%s aggressi+e infighting conflicting with -pin(s% s(illful out2!o=ing and footwor($ The fight ended after 91 seconds when Tyson (noc(ed -pin(s out in the first round: many consider this to !e the pinnacle of Tyson%s fame and !o=ing a!ility$7>C87>88 -pin(s, pre+iously un!eaten, would ne+er fight professionally again$