Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Tyson: The Concise Biography of Iron Mike
    Tyson: The Concise Biography of Iron Mike
    Tyson: The Concise Biography of Iron Mike
    Ebook39 pages46 minutes

    Tyson: The Concise Biography of Iron Mike

    By Frank Oliver

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    In his prime Mike Tyson was the most dominant fighter the sport of boxing had ever seen. At twenty he became the youngest heavyweight champion in history after winning his first nineteen fights by knockout, half of them inside the first round.

    This biography covers Tyson’s life and professional career, beginning with his criminal childhood, through to his amateur career, his meteoric rise to heavyweight champion, his shock fall from grace and eventual retirement from boxing in 2005.

    Mike Tyson was destined for a life of crime before he was rescued from a juvenile detention centre by the legendary trainer Cus D’Amato who guided him through an amateur career that fell just short of an Olympic title.

    His professional career began in 1985 with nineteen straight knockouts in little over a year before he destroyed Trevor Berbick to become heavyweight champion. With the most brutal punching boxing had ever seen Tyson unified the title the following year to become the undefeated, undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

    After demolishing everyone in the heavyweight division Tyson was widely considered to be unbeatable until his shock loss to the 42 – 1 underdog Buster Douglas in 1990. His first loss is still considered the biggest upset in sport. It triggered a fall from grace for the once invincible fighter, who allowed fame and fortune to erode the desire and professionalism that made him so successful.

    His life spiralled further out of control when a conviction for rape led to three years imprisonment and the loss of his prime years as a boxer. His career after that was filled with controversy as he recaptured and lost the title once more before being banned for biting off part of Evander Holyfield’s ear in a 1997 title fight.

    The final decade of Tyson’s career included time in jail, bans from boxing, and fights against lacklustre opponents in an effort to pay off massive debts. As he became disinterested in the sport his skills eroded and he began to lose against even average opponents. At the time he retired in 2005 he was still the biggest draw in boxing.

    This book is part of the Biography Shorts Series - Concise, fast paced biographies with no padding. At around 10,000 words they are designed to be read in about an hour.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherFrank Oliver
    Release dateApr 20, 2012
    ISBN9781476134215
    Tyson: The Concise Biography of Iron Mike

    Related to Tyson

    Related ebooks

    Boxing For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      In Camp With Legends

      May 6, 2021

      In Camp With Legends
      5 min read

    • Article

      The End Of Fights

      Mar 17, 2022

      The End Of Fights
      4 min read

    • Article

      Bull Market

      Feb 1, 2022

      Bull Market
      7 min read

    • Article

      The Surreal Life

      Apr 5, 2021

      THESE MOMENTS just keep arriving. Immanuel Quickley is conscious of not getting complacent, of not allowing himself to feel settled in the NBA, not now as a rookie and maybe not ever. But if he were ever tempted to relax, to take any of this for gran

      5 min read

    • Article

      Nigel Pearson

      Jan 13, 2021

      Nigel Pearson
      16 min read

    • Article

      The Sixth Man

      Sep 28, 2021

      MY HEART HURTS EVERY time I think about Terrence Clarke. I didn’t know him personally beyond a couple text message exchanges, but a bunch of the SLAM staff did, and I can say unequivocally that everyone loved him. He had an energy that uplifted every

      2 min read

    • Article

      A Real Champion

      Apr 29, 2021

      A Real Champion
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Godfather

      Feb 3, 2022

      The Godfather
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Tao Of Tyson

      Nov 15, 2022

      The Tao Of Tyson
      10 min read

    • Article

      Egos Tripping Out

      Dec 3, 2020

      Egos Tripping Out
      7 min read

    • Article

      Mayhem In Memphis

      Feb 8, 2024

      Mayhem In Memphis
      3 min read

    • Article

      A Nasty Beating

      Oct 5, 2023

      A Nasty Beating
      4 min read

    • Article

      THE KRONK Way

      Dec 23, 2021

      THE KRONK Way
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Holy Grail

      May 5, 2022

      The Holy Grail
      4 min read

    • Article

      Stephen Sayers

      Apr 7, 2022

      Stephen Sayers
      2 min read

    • Article

      What Planet Are They On?

      Dec 8, 2022

      What Planet Are They On?
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Son Also Rises

      Aug 14, 2019

      The Son Also Rises
      7 min read

    • Article

      Know More

      Nov 13, 2019

      A friend of mine, a team-mate for a pub trivia outfit, once asked me and a mutual friend in total seriousness: “You’re both intelligent guys. How can you like boxing?” As a fight fan, this is a question you periodically hear, but one you’re perpetual

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Thankless Job

      Feb 23, 2023

      The Thankless Job
      3 min read

    • Article

      Frankie Stringer

      May 4, 2023

      Frankie Stringer
      1 min read

    • Article

      The Champion

      Jul 30, 2020

      The Champion
      11 min read

    • Article

      Team’s OLBs Set The Tone

      Oct 10, 2023

      Team’s OLBs Set The Tone
      5 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Tyson

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Tyson - Frank Oliver

      TYSON

      The Concise Biography of Iron Mike

      By Frank Oliver

      Copyright 2012 Frank Oliver

      All rights reserved

      Smashwords Edition

      Michael Gerard Tyson was born on 30th June, 1966, in Brooklyn, New York. When he was just an infant Tyson’s father abandoned his mother and her three children leaving them to grow up in poverty in a small apartment in one of the roughest neighbourhoods in the city. With few other options available to him, Tyson was drawn into the life of a gang member and spent his time on the streets committing crimes and making himself well known to the local police.

      Tyson had a difficult time as a small child. He was softly spoken and had a lisp which he carried with him into adult life. He was also large for his age which made him a target for violence and ridicule among older gang members. Tyson never fought back and his only friends were a coop of pigeons he kept on the roof of his apartment block; a hobby he continued even after he became heavyweight champion. It was his love of pigeons that led to a defining moment in Tyson’s life. An older gang member from the neighbourhood discovered Tyson’s hobby and killed one of the pigeons in front of him out of spite. This so enraged the previously timid Tyson that he set upon the larger boy and beat him into submission. It was the first time Tyson fought back against his tormentors and he discovered two things; he liked fighting, and he was good at it.

      At the age of ten Tyson was already a career criminal, he had started as a pick pocket but as he grew older the seriousness of his crimes grew with him. He advanced to mugging and robbery and took pride in outsmarting his victims by using his soft voice to mislead the old and vulnerable. His favourite scam was to convince elderly people to let him carry their bags home as a good deed. His victims thinking he was helping out in the community gladly accepted. When they got home they found to their horror that it was a ploy to get into their home so he could steal from them. By the age of twelve Tyson had been arrested by the police countless times and had advanced to more serious offences such as carrying a gun. As a result the authorities eventually sent him to the Tryon School for Boys detention centre.

      Tyson continued to act out at the correctional school. When he assaulted one of the other boys, plus the guards who tried to restrain him, he was cordoned off from the other offenders. It was at this point he encountered Bobby Stewart, a former professional boxer who worked at the school. When Tyson heard about Stewart he made it known that he wanted to meet him and learn how to box. Seeing an opportunity Stewart made a deal with Tyson that if his behaviour and grades improved he would

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1