![]() ![]() ![]() Tyson knocked Ruddock down twice in the fight although one knockdown was actually a trip but still, referee Richard Steele counted it as a fall. Their first fight was supposed to occur while Tyson was still champ, but he had to withdraw from the bout this time it was the number one and two contenders battling for a shot at Evander’s title. Tyson and “Razor” Ruddock fought in March of 1991. During this time, Holyfield was set to defend his titles against George Foreman, but the WBC employed legalities to block the bout stating they wanted the champ to fight Tyson first. Ruddock was coming off an impressive win over Michael Dokes, in which he used a clever left uppercut-turned-straight to almost knock Dokes head clean off, as well as a first-round win over Mike Rouse. After Tyson’s two successive wins following the upset, a 12-round title eliminator bout was set against dangerous power puncher Donovan “Razor” Ruddock. Meanwhile, Evander Holyfield - a fan-favorite and one of the best heavyweights in the world - defeated Buster Douglas for the undisputed crown in Douglas’ first title defense. In his first two fights after the Douglas defeat, he quickly disposed of Henry Tillman and Alex Stewart with his trademark first round assaults. With his personal and professional life on the ropes, Tyson attempted to get things back on track. Tyson’s personal life had caught up to him in he ring and he had lost the undisputed championship amidst reports that he had undertrained for the bout and was physically and mentally unprepared to defend his crown. Although Tyson knocked Douglas to the canvas in the eighth round, Douglas fought back and propelled a brutal combination of strikes to Tyson’s head in the 10th - Tyson didn’t answer the count. The fight, held in Tokyo, produced one of the biggest upsets of all-time. In 1990, Tyson faced the underdog Buster Douglas, who many pegged to lose within the first round as many of Tyson’s opponents did. It didn’t help that Cus D’Amato, Tyson’s trainer and father figure, had died several years earlier and many attribute his loss to Tyson losing sight of his career, goals, and responsibilities. With his marriage to Robin Givens disintegrating, and a drug problem - specifically with cocaine - beginning to emerge, Tyson started to unravel. No one could beat Tyson but Tyson himself, but by 1990, that prophetic statement would come to fruition. Within 91 seconds, Tyson dispatched of Spinks and was crowned the universally recognized undisputed heavyweight champion. ![]() 1988 saw Tyson face his toughest test in the disputed lineal champion Michael Spinks. By 1987, Tyson had all the gold at just 20 years of age: the WBC, WBA, and IBF world championships were in his possession and many boxing pundits wondered what could derail the freight train of terror that he was inflicting in the squared circle. In 1986, his second year as a pro, Tyson pummeled Trevor Burbick to win the WBC heavyweight championship. In just his first year of fighting, Tyson had amassed 15 wins, all in dominant fashion. With thick plates of muscle and hands as lethal as any heavyweight in the business, Mike Tyson was becoming the monster that boxing fans had been craving. ![]()
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