Everything you need to know about the start of Mike Tyson’s boxing career

by Junna Base November 7, 2024

It seems like an eternity since the highly anticipated fight between “Iron Mike” Tyson and Jake “The Problem Child” Paul was first announced, but after months of debate, backlash and questions about whether the fight would ever happen , we are officially less than 10 days after the event.

Mike Tyson, former world heavyweight champion, is now 58 years old. He hasn’t competed in a non-exhibition fight since 2005. He is a shadow of the fighter he once was, but that shadow is still very large. Many people today don’t understand how dominant Tyson was in his prime.

Here’s a look back at the start of Mike Tyson’s career and whether it will have an impact on his upcoming fight against Paul.

Mike Tyson’s first fight

After years of fighting as an amateur, Tyson made his professional debut on March 6, 1985 at the age of 18. He defeated Hector Mercedes by TKO in the first round. His first nationally televised event took place less than a year later, on February 16, 1986. Tyson was awarded the victory over Jesse Ferguson after the referee stopped the match midway through the sixth round.

Tyson’s professional achievements

Throughout his career, Tyson was named heavyweight champion by multiple organizations, including the WBA, WBC and IBF. In fact, Tyson became the first heavyweight ever to hold all three titles simultaneously.

He won his first heavyweight title after a second-round TKO victory over Trevor Berbick, which won him the WBC title and made him the youngest champion (20 years, 4 months) in history.

Tyson began his career with 19 consecutive knockouts. He compiled a record of 37-0 (33 KOs) before suffering his first loss to Buster Douglas on February 11, 1990. Douglas’ victory is considered one of the most shocking upsets in boxing history.

Tyson also once beat his opponent Marvis Frazier by TKO in 30 seconds.

Tyson’s most recent fight

Tyson’s last professional fight came in 2005, a match against Kevin McBride. Tyson gave up before the seventh round and later admitted that he only took the fight for the money.

Since then, Tyson has only appeared in exhibition matches. Tyson last fought against Roy Jones Jr. on November 28, 2020. The fight ended in a split decision draw.