Mike Tyson's five most controversial boxing matches
Former undisputed heavyweight champion 'Iron' Mike Tyson is one of the most famous sportspersons and is counted among the most skilled combat sports athletes ever. Tyson's rise in the sport of boxing is often cited as a representation of the American dream. He overcame a challenging childhood and rose to superstardom through determination and hard work.
Tyson was trained in the 'Sweet Science' by the legendary Cus D'Amato and went on to become boxing's youngest heavyweight champion, capturing the WBC heavyweight belt with a second-round TKO victory against Trevor Berbick in November 1986. From his professional boxing debut in March 1985 to June 2005, Tyson amassed a record of 50 victories, six defeats, and two NCs (No Contests).
The Brooklyn-born combatant had several ups and downs in his personal and professional life over the years, including some extremely controversial moments as a boxer. With Tyson set to return to pro boxing competition later this year, today, we revisit some of his most controversial boxing matches.
#5 Mike Tyson vs. Orlin Norris
This fight came well after Mike Tyson's undisputed title reign and his three-year prison stint. Tyson faced Orlin Norris in October 1999 and knocked him down with a thunderous left as the bell signaled the end of round one. Norris couldn't answer the bell for round two, signaling that he'd suffered a knee injury courtesy of the knockdown.
The crowd in attendance rained down boos. Security personnel and others swarmed the ring and ensured that the visibly irate Tyson wouldn't confront Norris after the fight ended in a No Contest.
Tyson subsequently accused Norris of feigning the injury, while the latter maintained his innocence. The NSAC (Nevada State Athletic Commission) initially withheld Tyson's $10 million purse but later released it to him.
Furthermore, before Tyson's next fight, a clash against Julius Francis in the UK, Norris alleged that Tyson's manager Shelly Finkel persuaded him to publicly maintain that he (Norris) didn't view Tyson's after-the-bell punch as intentional. Norris implied that in return, he was promised a rematch with Tyson that'd have come with a $2 million purse.
Norris sued Tyson and demanded that of the $6 million purse Tyson was to receive from fighting Francis, he should be handed a $2 million payout. As reported by The New York Times, Judge Barry A. Cozier rejected Norris' request.
#4 Mike Tyson vs. Andrew Golota
Mike Tyson fought 6'4" heavyweight knockout artist Andrew Golota in October 2000. Golota was best known for getting disqualified in his pair of fights against the formidable Riddick Bowe after landing multiple low blows. Besides, the Polish fighter had also bitten Samson Po'uha in a previous fight. Ironically, Tyson, too, had famously bitten Evander Holyfield in their rematch in 1997.
Tyson overcame Golota's sharp jab and secured a terrifying knockdown with an overhand right toward the end of round one against him. A bleeding Golota returned to his corner and seemed to suggest that he didn't want to continue. Round two saw Tyson continue his relentless onslaught and try to finish his gigantic foe.
Golota made it to the end of the round, but he refused to continue fighting as the bell sounded to commence round three. His cornermen implored him to continue but to no avail.
Fans hurled objects at Golota on his way back to the locker room. Meanwhile, Tyson was restrained in his corner, lest he go to confront the Polish boxer. The fight was ruled a TKO victory for Tyson. Regardless, it was later overturned to a No Contest, as he tested positive for marijuana.
Intriguingly, Tyson was handed a three-month suspension by the Michigan Athletic Board of Control for refusing a pre-fight ur*ne test and only taking a post-fight test. Moreover, in his post-fight locker room interview, Golota insinuated that a headbutt from Tyson contributed to the anticlimactic end.
It was later revealed that Golota had suffered a fractured left cheekbone (likely from Tyson's knockdown punch), a herniated disc, and a concussion. His coach, Al Certo, who'd famously attempted to reinsert Golota's mouthpiece and publicly lambasted him for refusing to continue the fight, later apologized to him.
#3 Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson
Lennox 'The Lion' Lewis dominantly defeated Mike Tyson via eighth-round KO in their undisputed heavyweight title showdown in June 2002, marking the final time Tyson competed for a world title. The boxing match, in and of itself, wasn't controversial, but the build-up to it was marred by controversies.
During his in-ring post-fight interview after defeating Lou Savarese via first-round TKO in June 2000, Tyson, who was on a collision course with Lewis, asserted that he wanted to "eat" Lewis' children. Tyson's aforementioned interview went down as one of the most infamous ones in boxing history.
Besides, during a pre-fight press conference ahead of their title clash in 2002, Tyson approached Lewis and swung at a security personnel. A full-blown brawl ensued onstage, and Tyson ended up biting 'The Lion' (no pun intended) on his leg.
Addressing the incident on The Rich Eisen Show a few years back, Lewis asserted that he still had the scar of Tyson's bite on his thigh and that 'Iron' let go of his leg only after being elbowed by the security staff. To be fair, Tyson later made amends with Lewis, and the two heavyweight icons have been cordial toward one another in recent years.
Watch Lennox Lewis recall the incident below:
#2 Mike Tyson vs. Donovan 'Razor' Ruddock
Mike Tyson fought Jamaica-born Canadian pugilist Donovan 'Razor' Ruddock twice. Heading into their first encounter in March 1991, Ruddock was on a 16-fight win streak and one of the most feared heavyweights. Their fight was electrifying and saw Tyson withstand Ruddock's signature 'Smash Punch' aka 'The Smash' (an uppercut-hook hybrid), a punch the latter generally threw with his left hand.
Tyson knocked him down multiple times, but he valiantly fought back. However, after a Tyson combination dazed Ruddock on the feet in round seven, referee Richard Steele chose to wave the fight off. 'Iron' thereby won via TKO, but the stoppage was deemed premature by some.
Additionally, a 'Razor's' brother and manager (Delroy Ruddock) and promoter (Murad Muhammad) stormed the ring to confront the referee, while Mike Tyson's trainer Richie Giachetti tried to de-escalate the situation. Unfortunately, a brawl ensued and security personnel and local law enforcement intervened to break it up.
Tyson faced Ruddock in an immediate rematch in June 1991, knocking him down twice en route to a unanimous decision victory. While the brawl after their first fight is an oft-discussed controversial moment from their rivalry, Tyson's threats leading up to their rematch also piqued fan interest. 'Iron' had famously promised to make Ruddock his "girlfriend" in one of their pre-fight interviews.
Watch Mike Tyson's threat below:
#1 Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson I and II
A biting incident that's even more well-known than Mike Tyson biting Lennox Lewis' leg was 'The Bite Fight' against Evander Holyfield. Today, Tyson shares amity and respect with Holyfield and Lewis, but that wasn't the case back in the day. Tyson faced Holyfield twice. 'Iron' lost his WBA heavyweight title via 11th-round TKO to 'The Real Deal' in their first encounter in November 1996.
The fight was marred by allegations that Evander Holyfield's headbutts in it were intentional and unfairly tilted the scales in his favor. Some argued that there were a few headbutts on Tyson's part as well. In an immediate rematch in June 1997, Tyson complained about Holyfield's supposedly intentional headbutts again. However, this time, he chose to retaliate by biting Holyfield multiple times.
The referee disqualified Tyson in round three after he bit off a chunk of Holyfield's right ear. In recent years, Tyson apologized to him and the duo even starred in a skit about the bitten ear.