Mike Tyson still packs a punch at 49, puts on an exhibition

Mike Tyson is long past his days in the ring, but the former heavyweight champion of the world can still rip some punches. The 49-year-old Tyson was last in the ring in 2005, but the former champ appearing in a series of clips below looks to be in as good a shape as any. Just check this out.

We aren't quite sure what this final video will produce or what Tyson is selling, but one thing is for sure: I'm still not going anywhere near this man and a boxing ring.

Mike Tyson becomes the youngest heavyweight champ in history

On November 22, 1986, 20-year-old Mike Tyson knocks out 33-year-old Trevor Berbick in just five minutes and 35 seconds to become the youngest titleholder ever. “I’m the youngest heavyweight boxing champion in history,” Tyson told his manager after the fight, “and I’m going to be the oldest.”

Tyson’s bravado wasn’t misplaced: When he walked into the ring to face Berbick, he had won all 27 of the matches he’d fought, knocking out 26 of his opponents. He threw unbelievably hard punches–“pineapples,” trainer Angelo Dundee called them. Ref Mills Lane agreed: “Everything he’s got has ‘good night’ written all over it,” he said. Berbick refused to be intimidated by the younger man’s furious arm and decided–unwisely, it turned out–to stand up to Tyson instead of boxing him. He didn’t bob or weave or even throw punches. He just stood there, wanting to show the world that he could take whatever Tyson was dishing out. “I was trying to prove to myself that I could take his best shot,” Berbick said, but “he punches pretty hard.”

Tyson had a plan, too: “I wanted to throw every punch with bad intentions,” he said after the fight. “I was throwing–what can I say–hydrogen bombs.” During the first round, Berbick had fought in such slow motion that he looked like he was underwater; early in the second, Tyson walloped him to the mat with a powerful left hook. The older man bounced up, but Tyson thumped him again. Berbick froze; then his legs buckled and he fell. The ref began to count while the champ struggled to get up. He lifted himself off the mat twice, and twice his legs wobbled so much that he fell again. He finally made it up, but Lane stopped the fight anyway. “Berbick was up,” he said later, “but to allow somebody to get hit in that condition, that’s criminal.”

Tyson kept his title for nine more bouts, until Buster Douglas beat him in 1990. After that, his life unraveled. He was sent to prison for three years for rape. Then, five fights into his comeback in 1995, he bit off a part of Evander Holyfield’s ear and was disqualified. He retired for good in 2005. Berbick didn’t fare much better: He, too, spent time in prison for rape, and was found dead (of “chop wounds” to his head, according to the coroner’s report) in a church courtyard in Jamaica in 2006.

Mike Tyson admits to being high on drugs during major fights, and using a fake penis to avoid detection

Mike Tyson was high on drugs during some of his major fights and used a fake penis filled with someone else's urine to fool drug-testers, he has admitted for the first time.

The former world heavyweight boxing champion disclosed in a new tell-all memoir that he spent a significant stretch of his turbulent career addicted to cocaine and marijuana.

“I was a full-blown cokehead,” Tyson wrote in Undisputed Truth, published on Tuesday. Recalling his shock 2004 loss to Britain's Danny Williams, he revealed he was taking drugs until shortly before the fight.

Tyson, now 47 and retired, described his ferocious appetite for drink and drugs that dated back to trying cocaine at the age of 11 and first being given alcohol as a baby in New York.



He said that he was high before taking to the ring for a match against Lou Savarese in Glasgow in June 2000 – and came up with an ingenious method to prevent detection by the sport's official testers.

Confessing he had taken "blow" and "pot" before the bout, he said: “I had to use my whizzer, which was a fake penis where you put in someone’s clean urine to pass your drug test.”

He blamed a $200,000 fine for testing positive for marijuana after a 2000 fight against Andrew Golota in Detroit on the fact that he was tested before having a chance to get the 'whizzer' from a member of his team, whom he claims typically carried the device from fight to fight.

Tyson explained he had taken cocaine before a notorious televised press conference with Lennox Lewis in New York in January 2002, which descended into an onstage brawl between the rival camps.

“I lost my mind,” Tyson recalled. “I looked over at him and wanted to hit the motherf---er.” As the pair of heavyweights tussled, Tyson bit into one of Lewis's legs.

Tyson, the youngest boxer ever to win the WBC, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles, said he regrets that his drug use led to “Herculean" mood swings.

After several years of rehabilitation treatment - between staging a one-man show, appearing in the film The Hangover and socialising with A-list celebrities such as Victoria Beckham - Tyson said in August this year that he was close to death due to his chronic alcoholism.

However in his memoir he said his prodigious consumption had made sense at the time. “The history of war is the history of drugs,” he wrote. “Every great general and warrior from the beginning of time was high.”

Tyson's days of wild partying had already begun when he faced Britain's Frank Bruno for the first time, in Las Vegas, in a bout that had millions of British supporters gripped in February 1989.

While admitting that he was in such poor shape that “Bruno should have kicked my ass”, Tyson dismissed the notion that he was hurt by Bruno's memorable left hook at the end of the first round.

The blow left Tyson staggering for the first time in his professional career and notoriously caused the British commentator Harry Carpenter to forget his impartiality and say on-air: “Get in there, Frank”.

“People made a big deal that I was wobbled with the punches, but that wasn’t so,” Tyson claimed. Having regained his composure, the American went on to claim a technical knock-out in round five.

By the time the pair met again seven years later, Tyson had been convicted of raping Desiree Washington, a contestant in the Miss Black America pageant in Indianapolis, and jailed for three years.

Tyson continues to deny rape and railed against what he claims to be the injustice of his punishment. Yet he disclosed that his sentence was comfortable: he ate lobster in prison and even embarked on an affair with his drugs counsellor.

While in jail he also took the opportunity to read great literature by authors such as Marx, Shakespeare and Tolstoy, but drew the line at Hemingway, whom he described as “too much of a downer”.

He recalled being booed by “rabid" English supporters, who sang about him being a rapist, as he approached the ring for his rematch against Bruno in Las Vegas in 1996, However Bruno, who was defending his WBC Heavyweight Championship, “smelled of fear” and was dispatched a minute into the third round.

Four years later, however, British boxing fans adored Tyson, he said, and gave him a welcome “like Beatlemania” when he arrived to fight British heavyweight champion Julius Francis in Manchester.

He fondly recalled a visit to Parliament being boycotted by women MPs due to his rape conviction but said at that stage of his life he enjoyed being a hate figure.

Describing one of the most controversial moments of his career – his biting a chunk out of Evander Holyfield's left ear during their match in June 1997, Tyson admitted that he had lost composure but insisted that he had been driven to it after being repeatedly headbutted by Holyfield.



Tyson painted a vivid portrait of his life from a young thug and thief on the streets of working-class Brooklyn. He took up boxing while in a young offenders' institution and began his career in “smokers” – illegal fights held in gyms and attended by gangsters and pimps – before making it as a professional.

He comprehensively detailed his years of international womanising during the height of his career that led him through three marriages and to fathering eight children with a string of different women.

And he explained how he repeatedly found himself on the brink of financial ruin despite earning tens of millions of dollars per fight at the height of his boxing career.

At one point he forgot about a holdall containing $1 million in cash, and on another occasion gave a hefty payout to a woman who unsuccessfully sued him after being bitten by his pet tiger. “I felt bad, so I gave her $250,000,” he said.

Mike Tyson empathizes with Trump saying 'now he knows what it's like when everybody is out to get you' as he calls hatred an innate American characteristic

Mike Tyson empathized with Donald Trump, who is facing new levels of opposition after brawls broke out at his cancelled rally in Chicago last night, leaving two police officers injured and at least six arrested.

Tyson, who previously voiced his support for the Donald, told the NY Post earlier this week: 'Now he knows what it's like when everybody is out to get you. He's probably never known that to this extent.'

He also acknowledged the hatred exposed during the presidential campaign, but attributed it as an innate American characteristic without placing blame on any particular group.

The former heavyweight champion has shared a close friendship with Trump since he won a number of fights near Trump Plaza in Atlantic City, New Jersey in the late 1980s.

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Mike Tyson (right) empathized with Donald Trump (left) when he told the NY Post: ''Now he knows what it's like when everybody is out to get you. He's probably never known that to this extent'





Old pals: Tyson said he's enjoyed most of his successful fights at Trump's hotels, and the two have been friends since the 1980s

Trump bid a record $11million to have Tyson's fight against Michael Spinks in 1988 held at the Atlantic City Convention Hall near his hotel.

Tyson famously knocked Spinks out in 91 seconds, winning about $20million.

But Tyson experienced an onslaught of criticism and media scrutiny when he went through a divorce, parted ways with his manager and trainer, bit another boxer's ear, and was convicted of raping an 18-year-old girl.

He told the Post he understood what Trump was going through. He said: 'Now he knows what it’s like when everybody is out to get you. He’s probably never known that to this extent.

'I think it’s a pretty awesome thing that he’s doing so well. People are combining together to make sure he doesn’t win.

'He’s probably telling himself, "They hate me more than they hate [President Barack] Obama."'

He also added: 'There’s so much hate in this country. I don’t care what color you are. You’re just born with that hate in us.'

Last night's Chicago rally turned into a violent showdown between Trump supporters and 10,000 protesters who successfully shut down the event.

As the dust settled in Chicago, hundreds gathered in the Wright Brothers Aero Hangar near Dayton, where Trump condemned the bloody scenes as 'disgusting'.

But he defended his supporters as 'nice', and tweeted: 'The organized group of people, many of them thugs, who shut down our First Amendment rights in Chicago, have totally energized America!'

His speech today was disturbed after one crowd member tried to rush the stage and threw an object -it is unclear what - causing four Secret Service personnel to quickly leap to the stage in his aid.

The Republican candidate looked visibly rattled as the offending person was escorted out.



A man was escorted out of a Trump rally in Ohio today (pictured). Trump looked visibly rattled after an attendee threw an unidentified object at him



Tyson previously voiced his support for Trump in October, and said the two both shared a 'thrust for power'

In an interview with The Huffington Post in October, Tyson emphatically endorsed Trump for president.

Tyson, who converted to Islam while he was serving his three year sentence for raping an 18-year-old girl, had previously drawn comparisons between himself and Trump.

He told the Daily Caller: 'We’re the same guy. A thrust for power, a drive for power. Whatever field we’re in, we need power in that field. That’s just who we are.'

Tyson called attention to Trump's business acumen, and defended his friend over his more controversial statements regarding immigrants.

But Tyson also conceded Trump needed to work on delivering his messages.

The boxer from Brooklyn, New York began a run of his one-man show, Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth in Las Vegas.

He also recently appeared in the film Ip Man 3, a successful martial arts franchise.

Mike Tyson American boxer

Alternative titles: Iron Mike; Michael Gerald Tyson

Mike TysonAmerican boxer

 

Mike Tyson, in full Michael Gerald Tyson, byname Iron Mike (born June 30, 1966, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.) American boxer who, at age 20, became the youngest heavyweight champion in history (see also boxing).
A member of various street gangs at an early age, Tyson was sent to reform school in upstate New York in 1978. At the reform school, social worker and boxing aficionado Bobby Stewart recognized his boxing potential and directed him to renowned trainer Cus D’Amato, who became his legal guardian. Tyson compiled a 24–3 record as an amateur and turned professional in 1985.
D’Amato taught Tyson a peekaboo boxing style, with hands held close to his cheeks and a continuous bobbing motion in the boxing ring that made his defense almost impenetrable. At 5 feet 11 inches (1.8 metres) tall and weighing about 218 pounds (99 kg), Tyson was short and squat and lacked the classic heavyweight boxer’s appearance, but his surprising quickness and aggressiveness in the ring overwhelmed most of his opponents. On November 22, 1986, he became the youngest heavyweight champion in history, with a second-round knockout of Trevor Berbick, to claim the crown of the World Boxing Council (WBC). On March 7, 1987, he acquired the World Boxing Association (WBA) belt when he defeated James Smith. After he defeated Tony Tucker on August 1, 1987, Tyson was unanimously recognized as champion by all three sanctioning organizations (WBC, WBA, and International Boxing Federation [IBF]).

After the deaths of D’Amato and manager Jimmy Jacobs, Tyson aligned with controversial promoter Don King. He made 10 successful defenses of his world heavyweight title, including victories over former champions Larry Holmes and Michael Spinks. In 1988 Tyson married actress Robin Givens, but the couple divorced in 1989 amid allegations that Tyson had physically abused her. A myriad of assault and harassment charges were subsequently filed against Tyson.

On February 11, 1990, in one of the biggest upsets in boxing history, Tyson lost the championship to lightly regarded James (“Buster”) Douglas, who scored a technical knockout in the 10th round. Tyson rebounded from the loss with four straight victories. In 1991, however, he was accused of having raped a beauty pageant contestant, and he was convicted of the charge in 1992.

Following his release from prison in 1995, Tyson resumed boxing and in 1996 regained two of his championship belts with easy victories over Frank Bruno and Bruce Seldon. On November 9, 1996, in a long-anticipated bout with two-time heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, Tyson lost for the second time in his professional career, by a technical knockout in the 11th round. In a rematch against Holyfield on June 28, 1997, he was disqualified after he twice bit his opponent’s ears, and, as a result of the infraction, he lost his boxing license.

Tyson eventually was relicensed, and he returned to the ring on January 16, 1999, when he knocked out Franz Botha in the fifth round. On February 6, however, Tyson was sentenced to one year in jail, two years of probation, and 200 hours of community service and was fined $2,500 after he pleaded no contest to charges that he had assaulted two elderly men following a 1998 automobile accident. Tyson was released after serving just a few months of the one-year sentence.

Nevertheless, Tyson’s self-control problems continued. After the referee stopped a fight in June 2000 with American Lou Savarese, Tyson continued punching and inadvertently injured the referee. In comments made to the press after this fight, Tyson outraged boxing fans with bizarre and vicious remarks about British heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis. In his October 2000 bout with Andrew Golota, Tyson won in the third round, but the fight was later declared a no contest because Tyson tested positive for marijuana. Tyson had only one more fight between October 2000 and his June 2002 fight with Lewis.

It had been difficult to schedule this fight. Both men were contractually bound to different promoters and cable television companies. Tyson had attacked and bitten Lewis during a press conference, which also had a dampening effect. Tyson’s legal problems caused him to be denied a boxing license by the sanctioning bodies of the U.S. states that usually hold major boxing matches (such as Nevada). It had been so long since Tyson had fought a boxer of his own calibre that no one knew the level of his skills. The question was settled when Lewis twice knocked Tyson to the canvas during the course of the fight before knocking him out in the eighth round.

Tyson had his final professional win in 2003, a 49-second first-round knockout. Later that year he filed for bankruptcy, claiming to be $34 million in debt after earning an estimated $400 million over the course of his career. Tyson lost bouts in 2004 and 2005, and he retired in the aftermath of the latter fight. In 2007 he served 24 hours in prison after pleading guilty to drug possession and driving under the influence, charges that stemmed from a 2006 arrest.

Tyson’s personal and professional exploits were recounted in the documentary Tyson, which premiered at the Cannes film festival in 2008, and in a one-man stage show, Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth, which he first performed in Las Vegas in 2012. (The show was subsequently mounted on Broadway in a production directed by filmmaker Spike Lee.) He also appeared as himself in a number of television shows and films, including the blockbuster comedy The Hangover (2009) and its sequel (2011). Tyson was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2011.