Mike Tyson Fast Facts
CNN Editorial Research
Here’s a look at the life of former heavyweight world boxing champion Mike Tyson.
Personal
Birth date: June 30, 1966
Birth place: Brooklyn, New York
Birth name: Michael Gerard Tyson
Father: Jimmy Kirkpatrick
Mother: Lorna Smith Tyson
Marriages: Lakiha (Spicer) Tyson (June 6, 2009-present); Monica (Turner) Tyson (April 19, 1997-January 14, 2003, divorced); Robin Givens (February 7, 1988-February 14, 1989, divorced)
Children: with Lakiha (Spicer) Tyson: Morocco, January 2011; Milan, 2009; with Sol Xochitl: Exodus, 2005-May 26, 2009; Miguel, 2002; with Monica (Turner) Tyson: Amir, 1997; Rayna, March 1996; with Kimberley Scarborough: Mikel, 1991
Other Facts
Nicknamed “Iron Mike.”
Finished his first year of professional boxing with a record of 15-0, all by knockout.
Raises racing pigeons.
He is the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history at age 20 years and four months.
Timeline
1970s – Placed in the Tryon School for Boys, a reform school in upstate New York, where a counselor teaches him how to box.
1980 – Trainer Constantine “Cus” D’Amato takes custody of Tyson and the teen boxer begins entering amateur matches.
1984 – US Olympic boxing team alternate.
March 1985 – Tyson wins his professional fight, a first-round knockout of Hector Mercedes.
November 1985 – D’Amato, Tyson’s trainer, dies of pneumonia at the age of 77.
November 1986 – Wins World Boxing Council (WBC) championship with a second-round knockout of Trevor Berbick.
March 1987 – Wins a 12-round decision over James “Bonecrusher” Smith and becomes the World Boxing Association (WBA) champion.
August 1987 – Defeats Tony Tucker to become the International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion.
June 27, 1988 – Knocks out Michael Spinks in 90 seconds.
October 1988 – Don King becomes Tyson’s promoter and manager.
October 31, 1990 – A federal court awards a woman $100 in damages after she sues Tyson for a 1988 incident, claiming that the boxer sexually harassed her at a nightclub.
July 1991 – Is arrested for rape of beauty pageant contestant, Desiree Washington. She accused him of assaulting her at an Indianapolis hotel in July.
February 10, 1992 – Convicted on one count of rape and two counts of deviant sexual conduct. He is sentenced to six years in prison.
March 25, 1995 – Released from prison after serving three years.
August 1995 – Returns to the ring and defeats Peter McNeeley. After two knockdowns in 90 seconds, the match is stopped, and Tyson is declared the winner.
November 1996 – Loses to Evander Holyfield.
June 28, 1997 – Tyson loses a Holyfield rematch after being disqualified for biting Holyfield’s ear. He is fined $3 million and his Nevada boxing license is revoked for one year.
March 1998 – Files a $100 million lawsuit against King, accusing the promoter of fraud and embezzling millions of dollars.
1998 – After a minor car accident in Maryland, Tyson allegedly tries to assault one of the people in the other car. He is later convicted of misdemeanor assault and serves three months in jail.
January 2002 – Throws a punch at a bodyguard during a news conference announcing a match against heavyweight champ, Lennox Lewis. The fight is delayed due to the scuffle.
June 2002 – Knocked out by Lewis.
August 2003 – Files for bankruptcy.
2004 – Settles his lawsuit against King for $14 million.
June 2005 – Announces retirement after losing to Kevin McBride.
December 2006 – Pulled over in Scottsdale, Arizona, after leaving a nightclub and arrested for cocaine possession.
2007 – Pleads guilty to drug and DUI charges. He is sentenced to 24 hours in jail and three years of probation.
May 2008 – A documentary about Tyson’s life, called “Tyson,” premieres at the Cannes Film Festival.
May 2009 – Tyson’s 4-year-old daughter, Exodus, dies after an accident on a treadmill in the family home gym.
2009 – Tyson portrays himself in the comedy movie, “The Hangover.”
March 2011 – The Animal Planet reality series “Taking on Tyson” debuts. The show centers on Tyson’s hobby raising pigeons.
2011 – Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York.
2012 – A one-man play, “Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth,” opens at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas. The show later moves to Broadway for a limited six-night run.
October 27, 2014 – “Mike Tyson Mysteries,” an animated series about a team of sleuths led by the former heavyweight champ, premieres on Adult Swim. Tyson tells CNN the series is like “Scooby Doo” meets “The A-Team.”
April 13, 2017 – Tyson talks about criminal justice reform during a panel discussion with New Jersey governor Chris Christie and other public officials.
May 30, 2017 – His memoir, “Iron Ambition: My Life with Cus D’Amato,” is published.
January 3, 2018 – Tyson and business partners break ground on a 40-acre ranch in California as a destination for growers and consumers of marijuana.
July 23, 2020 – Tyson announces on his Instagram account that he is returning to the ring to fight Roy Jones Jr. in Los Angeles.
August 9, 2020 – Discovery’s “Shark Week” premiers “Tyson vs. Jaws: Rumble on the Reef,” featuring Tyson cage diving with sharks.
November 28, 2020 – “Frontline Battle,” an 8-round exhibition fight between Tyson and Roy Jones Jr., ends in a draw.
May 25, 2021 – The two part documentary “Mike Tyson: The Knockout” premieres on ABC.
March 15, 2022 – On Twitter, Tyson announces the release of a line of cannabis-infused gummies in the shape of ears called “Mike Bites,” more than two decades after Tyson bit off a chunk of Holyfield’s ear during the 1997 WBA Heavyweight Championship fight.
April 21, 2022 – Following the release of video appearing to show Tyson hitting a fellow airplane passenger, a representative for Tyson says, “Unfortunately, Mr. Tyson had an incident on a flight with an aggressive passenger who began harassing him and threw a water bottle at him while he was in his seat.” On May 10, 2022, San Mateo County, California, District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe tells CNN he has decided not to file misdemeanor battery charges against Tyson based on the circumstances surrounding the confrontation, including the conduct of the alleged victim, Melvin George Townsend III, leading up to the incident.
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