When did Mike Tyson suffer the first loss of his boxing career?
With the title of youngest World Boxing Council (WBC) Heavyweight Champion to his name, 'Iron' Mike Tyson is widely regarded as one of the greatest to have ever stepped into a boxing ring.
After capturing the WBC title in 1986, Mike Tyson went on a tear and unified the heavyweight belts in 1987. This was followed by back-to-back highlight-reel knockouts on Carl Williams and Frank Bruno. The boxing legend was on a roll until he faced Buster Douglas.
In 1990, it was announced that Mike Tyson was going to put his undisputed championships on the line against Douglas at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. Despite being in grave personal turmoil, Mike Tyson accepted the fight. At the time, Buster Douglas was ranked #7 by Ring Magazine. The fight was viewed by many in the boxing world as a "warm-up" bout for a matchup with Evander Holyfield.
Prior to the Mike Tyson fight, Buster Douglas was coming off a series of consecutive wins that entitled him to be next in line for the undisputed gold. But just 23 days away from his fight with Tyson, Douglas lost his mother due to a severe kidney ailment.
On February 11 1990, the gladiators finally traded leather inside the ring. Right from the get go, Buster Douglas utilized his reach advantage to strike with Mike Tyson. As the rounds proceeded further, Mike Tyson used his patented peek-a-boo style of boxing that was imparted to him by Cus D'Amato.
In the eighth round, Mike threw a big right uppercut that landed Douglas on the canvas. Saved by a questionable count by the referee, Buster Douglas stood up and went back to his corner to prepare for the next round.
An unprecedented set of events took place in the tenth round when Douglas threw a combination that landed clean on Tyson, sending him crashing to the floor. Tyson didn't respond to the referee's 10 count in time meaning Buster Douglas handed 'Kid Dynamite' the first loss of his professional career.
Mike Tyson may fight Evander Holyfield next
Mike Tyson announced his retirement from pro-boxing in 2005 after his loss to Kevin McBride. But it appears the former champ isn't truly done with the sport yet. In 2020, Mike Tyson made a comeback against legendary boxer Roy Jones Jr. under the Triller banner.
Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson's former rival, has expressed interest in fighting Tyson for a third time. Holyfield believes that the event will cross the $100 million mark in pay-per-view buys.