Sports
Mike Tyson’s many eras: From ‘Iron Mike’ to prison to Holyfield to a Jake Paul bout
The many lives of Mike Tyson will add another chapter Friday.
At 58 years old, Tyson will fight Jake Paul, the 27-year-old YouTube-star-turned-boxer who wasn’t even born when Tyson’s career was in its prime. It’s Tyson’s first sanctioned professional match since 2005.
The Tyson who will enter the ring at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Friday is a far cry from the Tyson whose pro career ended 19 years ago, when he quit on his stool before the start of the seventh round in a loss to Kevin McBride. He’s an even further cry from the Tyson who infamously bit Evander Holyfield’s ear, the Tyson who spent three years in prison or the “Iron Mike” who dominated the sport in the 1980s.
This Tyson is a shell of the fighter he once was — though he retains the confidence of a championship competitor: “I’m not gonna lose,” he said this week.
MIKE TYSON HITS JAKE PAUL AT THE WEIGH IN #PaulTyson
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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15
8 PM ET | 5 PM PT pic.twitter.com/kFU40jVvk0— Netflix (@netflix) November 15, 2024
As Tyson prepares for his comeback against boxing’s viral star of today, his career beckons for a rewind. Here’s a look at Tyson’s evolution by the decade.
The 1980s: The rise of ‘Iron Mike’
At 18 years old, Tyson won his professional debut with a first-round TKO against Hector Mercedes on March 6, 1985 in Albany, N.Y. From there, his rise was meteoric.
Tyson fought 15 times in a 10-month span in 1985, winning all by knockout. He fought 13 more times in 1986, becoming the youngest heavyweight champ in history (at 20 years, 145 days old) with a second round full of vicious left hooks that sent Trevor Berbick — the last fighter to defeat Muhammad Ali — stumbling around the ring.
“I believe sincerely that Mike creates an aura of invincibility,” Tyson’s co-manager at the time, Jim Jacobs, said afterward. “I have watched Trevor Berbick on tapes. And this Trevor Berbick was nothing like the Trevor Berbick I have watched. He fought as if he was in slow motion.”
By Tyson’s 21st birthday, he was 30-0 with the unified WBA and WBC heavyweight titles. In fight No. 31, Tyson defeated Tony Tucker to win the IBF title and become the first heavyweight to hold all three major belts. He went on to defend those belts six more times by the end of the decade — all via knockout. His finish of Michael Spinks, 91 seconds into the first round, is considered by many to be the peak of Tyson’s career.
The numbers for Tyson’s 37 fights in the 1980s were staggering: He won 33 by knockout, and 17 of those in the first round.
The early 1990s: An upset, and a conviction
Tyson was a 42-to-1 favorite and seemingly a safe bet to go to 38-0 when he took on Buster Douglas in February 1990. Instead, the Tokyo Dome was treated to one of the largest upsets in sports history when Douglas knocked him out in the 10th round. Douglas had just been TKOed by Tucker three years earlier and was relegated to the undercard the same night Tyson dominated Spinks.
Behind the scenes, Tyson’s personal life had begun crumbling leading up to the upset. His first wife, actress Robin Givens, said in a televised interview that being married to Tyson was “torture, pure hell,” and filed for divorce, citing spousal abuse. Tyson also split with his manager and trainer ahead of the bout.
After the loss, Tyson rebounded with four wins in 12 months to re-establish his standing and set up a match with heavyweight champ Evander Holyfield, but that fight wouldn’t happen for five years. In 1992, Tyson was convicted of raping an 18-year-old woman and was sentenced to six years in prison. He would serve three before his release on parole in March 1995.
The late 1990s: Tyson vs. Holyfield
Tyson returned to the ring in August 1995 to much fanfare and won back the WBC and WBA titles within 13 months to finally set up the heavyweight clash with Holyfield. But Holyfield, seen as over the hill by 1996, produced a stunning TKO of Tyson in the eleventh round.
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Rewatching the Classics: Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield 1
A rematch was quickly arranged for June 1997. The highly anticipated Tyson-Holyfield II set a then-PPV record of 1.99 million buys.
Those watching on PPV and inside the MGM Grand saw one of the most bewildering moments in professional sports history. As the third round drew to a close, Tyson grabbed Holyfield multiple times and bit both of Holyfield’s ears, severing part of Holyfield’s right ear and ending the bout with a Tyson disqualification.
Holyfield touching his right ear after being bit by Tyson in their 1997 match. (Photo: Jeff Haynes / AFP via Getty Images)
Tyson’s boxing license in Nevada was later suspended, a ruling followed by other state athletic commissions. It would be over 18 months until the license was reinstated, and it was during that time when Tyson first dipped his toe in pop culture, appearing at WrestleMania XIV.
The decade ended with Tyson returning to the ring to knock out Francois Botha in January 1999 and then serving three and a half months in prison for assaulting two drivers in an incident from 1998, before coming back to fight Orlin Norris in October 1999. That bout was ruled a no contest.
The 2000s: Boxing retirement, pop culture emergence
At 33 years old, Tyson tried to mount a late-career resurgence. After knocking out Lou Savarese in June 2000, Tyson called out heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis, infamously stating, “I want your heart, I want to eat your children.”
His opportunity versus Lewis finally came in June 2002. Lewis largely controlled the fight, as the champion survived Tyson’s round one onslaught and controlled the pace with strong jabs. With less than a minute left in the eighth round, a Lewis right cross landed flush and put Tyson on his back for the count.
The loss accelerated the end of Tyson’s professional career. His last pro win came against Clifford Etienne in 2003.
His final professional bout — until Friday’s against Paul — came against McBride in 2005. Tyson, who struggled mightily with his stamina and the height difference, managed to keep the fight close on the scorecards, but then was issued a two-point penalty for head butting. The sixth round ended with Tyson slumped on the mat after a slip, and the match ended without Tyson ever getting off his stool to answer the seventh round.
“I do not have the guts to be in this sport anymore,” Tyson said afterward. “I don’t want to disrespect the sport that I love. My heart is not into this anymore. I’m sorry for the fans who paid for this. I wish I could have done better.”
Tyson on the mat after slipping at the end of the sixth round versus McBride. Tyson would quit the bout before the start of the seventh. (Photo: Paul J. Richards / AFP via Getty Images)
Within a few years, Tyson found a second career — through movies, television and entertainment.
He made an appearance in the movie “Rocky Balboa” in 2006, but his breakout moment came in “The Hangover” in 2009, when he air drummed to Phil Collins’ “In the Air Tonight” before knocking out Zach Galifianakis’ character, Alan. He later made cameos on “How I Met Your Mother,” “Dancing with the Stars” and in a Foot Locker commercial in which he apologizes to Holyfield for biting his ear and embraces his old rival.
The 2020s: A return to the ring
In 2020, Tyson agreed to battle Roy Jones Jr. in an eight-round exhibition, a bout sanctioned in California. Both boxers were over 50, and the match was competed under specific instructions that it should not go beyond “the boundaries of a competitive boxing exhibition,” meaning neither opponent should attempt to knock the other out.
The fight was scored a split draw despite Tyson significantly outlanding Jones. On the same card, Paul appeared in his second boxing match, knocking out former NBA player Nate Robinson.
Netflix announced Friday’s Tyson-Paul bout in March 2024. It was initially supposed to take place in July. In April, the bout was sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations to be a professional fight consisting of eight two-minute rounds fought with 14-ounce gloves.
In late May, Tyson suffered an ulcer flareup while flying from Miami to Los Angeles, forcing the fight to be delayed. According to Tyson, the ulcer was over two inches large in his stomach and resulted in him losing 26 pounds. On the flight, he said he threw up blood.
“I asked the doctor, ‘Am I going to die?’” Tyson said in the preview series, “Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson.” “And she didn’t say no. She said we have options, though. That’s when I got nervous.”
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(Photo: Timothy A. Clary / AFP via Getty Images)
Sports
Eileen Gu reflects on decision to leave Team USA for China: ‘A lot of people just don’t understand’
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Eileen Gu released a statement on social media Monday, reflecting on her controversial decision to compete for Team China despite being born and raised in the U.S.
Gu’s statement tied the decision back to her passion for promoting women’s sports, and encouraging young girls to pursue sports.
“I gave my first speech on women in sports and title IX when I was 11 years old. I talked about being the only girl on my ski team, and, despite attending an all-girls’ school from Monday through Friday, becoming best friends with my teammates on the weekends through the common language of sport,” Gu wrote on Instagram.
Silver medalist Eileen Gu of China poses for photos after the awarding ceremony of the freestyle skiing women’s freeski big air event at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Livigno, Italy, Feb. 16, 2026. (Photo by Wang Peng/Xinhua via Getty Images) (Wang Peng/Xinhua via Getty Images)
“At the same time, I was made painfully aware of the lack of representation – at age 9, I felt that I was somehow representing all women every time I stepped in the terrain park. Landing tricks was about more than progression … it was about disproving the derisive implication of what it meant to ‘ski like a girl.’”
Gu went on to express gratitude for the one season in which she did compete for the U.S.
“When I was 15, I announced my decision to compete for China. At the time, I had spent one season on the US team, and had been lucky enough to meet my heroes in person. I am forever grateful for that season, and continue to maintain a close relationship with the team. I had spent every summer in China since I was 8 setting up summer camps on trampoline and dry slope for kids and adults, ranging from 7 to 47 years old, so I knew the industry was tiny. I felt like I knew everyone,” she added.
“Skiing for Team China meant the opportunity to uplift others through the universal culture of sport, and to introduce freeskiing to hundreds of millions of people who had never heard of it, especially with the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics around the corner.”
Gu’s statement concluded by acknowledging that certain people “don’t understand” her decision to compete for China over the U.S., while insisting the choice maximized the impact she would have.
“I can look back now, at 22, and tell 12 year old Eileen that there are now terrain parks full of little girls, who will never doubt their place in the sport. I can tell 15 year old me that there are now millions of girls who have started skiing since then, in China and worldwide,” Gu wrote.
“A lot of people won’t understand or believe that I made a decision to create the greatest amount of positive impact on the world stage that I could, at this age, given my interests and passions. Three golds and six medals later, I can confidently say was once a dream is now a reality.”
Gu has become a target for global criticism this Olympics for her decision to represent China while remaining silent on the country’s alleged human rights abuses.
In an interview with Time magazine, Gu was asked her thoughts on China’s alleged persecution of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.
“I haven’t done the research. I don’t think it’s my business. I’m not going to make big claims on my social media,” Gu answered.
“I’m just more of a skeptic when it comes to data in general. … So, it’s not like I can read an article and be like, ‘Oh, well, this must be the truth.’ I need to have a ton of evidence. I need to maybe go to the place, maybe talk to 10 primary source people who are in a location and have experienced life there.
“Then I need to go see images. I need to listen to recordings. I need to think about how history affects it. Then I need to read books on how politics affects it. This is a lifelong search. It’s irresponsible to ask me to be the mouthpiece for any agenda.”
More controversy surrounding Gu erupted after The Wall Street Journal reported that Gu and another American-born athlete who now competes for China, were paid a combined $6.6 million by the Beijing Municipal Sports Bureau in 2025.
Gu is the highest-paid Winter Olympics athlete in the world, making an estimated $23 million in 2025 alone due to partnerships with Chinese companies, including the Bank of China and western companies.
Her alignment with China prompted criticism from many Americans this Olympics, including Vice President J.D. Vance.
“I certainly think that someone who grew up in the United States of America who benefited from our education system, from the freedoms and liberties that makes this country a great place, I would hope they want to compete with the United States of America,” Vance said in an interview on Fox News’ “The Story with Martha MacCallum.”
Later, when Gu was asked if she feels “like a bit of a punching bag for a certain strand of American politics at the moment,” she said she does.
“I do,” she said. “So many athletes compete for a different country. … People only have a problem with me doing it because they kind of lump China into this monolithic entity, and they just hate China. So, it’s not really about what they think it’s about.
“And, also, because I win. Like, if I wasn’t doing well, I think that they probably wouldn’t care as much, and that’s OK for me. People are entitled to their opinions.”
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Silver medalist Eileen Gu of China attends the awarding ceremony of the freestyle skiing women’s freeski big air event at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Livigno, Italy, Feb. 16, 2026. (Hongxiang/Xinhua via Getty Images)
Gu has claimed she was “physically assaulted” for the decision.
“The police were called. I’ve had death threats. I’ve had my dorm robbed,” Gu told The Athletic.
“I’ve gone through some things as a 22-year-old that I really think no one should ever have to endure, ever.”
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From Hollywood actors to Olympic athletes and politicians, California’s newest Hall of Fame class runs the gamut in talent and achievements.
Academy Award-winning actress Jamie Lee Curtis and former governor/action star Arnold Schwarzenegger, Olympic champions Janet Evans and Carl Lewis, authors Riane Eisler and Terry McMillan, chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, groundbreaking ensemble Mariachi Reyne de Los Ángeles and former state Democratic leader John L. Burton all earned a spot into the assembly of distinct Californians, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday.
This class, the 19th in state history, will be formally enshrined during a ceremony at the California Museum in Sacramento on March 19 as a “celebration of their contributions to civic life, creativity, and social progress,” according to Newsom’s office.
The inductees “have reshaped our culture and our communities. Resilient and innovative, these leaders and luminaries represent the best of the California spirit,” Newsom said in a statement.
To be inducted, candidates must have lived in California for at least five years and “have made achievements benefiting the state, nation and world,” according to the California Hall of Fame website. To date, 166 Californians have been selected by three governors since 2006.
Schwarzenegger, 78, served as the state’s 38th governor and last Republican head of state from 2003 to 2011. His renaissance man biography includes a career as a body builder, highlighted by his Mr. Universe titles, action film success, political stardom and even tabloid-fodder infidelity.
Curtis, 67, a Santa Monica native, is among Hollywood’s elite and teamed with Schwarzenegger in the action blockbuster “True Lies” in 1994. Her acting career dates to 1977, and she earned a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award in 2023 for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”
Evans, 54, is a four-time Olympic gold medal swimmer and Fullerton native who attended Placentia El Dorado High School, Stanford University and USC. She serves as chief athletic officer for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
Lewis, 64, is considered by many one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century. The track star won 10 medals, nine of them gold, in four Olympics.
Eisler, 88, and McMillan, 74, added multiple bestsellers to this Hall of Fame class.
Eisler’s critically acclaimed “The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future” examines roughly 20,000 years of partnership between men and women and male domination over the last 5,000 years. The futurist, cultural historian and Holocaust survivor who has degrees in sociology and law from UCLA said she was informed of the honor last year by Jennifer Siebel Newsom and recently was honored by the Austrian government with its Cross of Honour for Science and Art, First Class.
“I am very honored at this time in my life to be inducted into the California Hall of Fame,” Eisler wrote in an email. “I have worked tirelessly to help create a better world, and firmly believe that a new paradigm, a new way of looking at our world and our place in it, is crucial.”
McMillan has written a series of smash hits, including a couple that became major studio films in the ‘90s, “Waiting to Exhale” and “How Stella Got her Groove Back,” centered on Black women’s voices.
Matsuhisa, 76, know for his iconic Japanese restaurant Nobu, which has six locations in California, owns businesses across five continents.
Mariachi Reyna de Los Ángeles, founded in South El Monte, rewrote the rules of music, becoming the first all-woman mariachi ensemble that has entertained for more than three decades.
Burton, the former chair of the California Democratic Party who died last year at 92, boasted a political career that included time in the California State Assembly and Senate and the U.S. House.
“This year’s class embodies the very best of California — creativity, resilience and a spirit of community,” Siebel Newsom said in a statement. “These honorees remind us that innovation and courage flourish when people are lifted up by those around them.”
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Ali Haji-Sheikh and Shar Pourdanesh share the fact they are retired NFL players living beyond the glow of the NFL spotlight. But they also share another distinction tying them to current events: They are part of the Iranian diaspora hoping for the downfall of the Islamic revolution.
They make up part of a small group of men who played in the NFL – along with David Bakhtiari, his brother Eric Bakhtiari and T.J. Housmandzadeh – who are decedents of Iranians.
Washington Redskins kicker Ali Haji-Sheikh (6) talks to reporters at Jack Murphy Stadium during media day prior to Super Bowl XXII against the Denver Broncos. San Diego, California, on Jan. 26, 1988.(Darr Beiser/USA TODAY Sports)
Haji-Sheikh: Self-Determination For Iranians
Haji-Sheikh, 65, played in the 1980s for the New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins. He was a first-team All-Pro, made the Pro Bowl and was on the NFL All-Rookie team in 1983 for the Giants and, in his final season, won a Super Bowl XXII ring playing for the Washington Redskins and kicking six extra points in a 42-10 blowout of the Denver Broncos.
Now, Haji-Sheikh is the general manager at a Michigan Porsche-Audi dealership and is like the rest of us: Keeping up with world events when time permits.
Except the war the United States is currently waging against the Islamic Republic of Iran is kind of different because Haji-Sheikh’s dad emigrated from Iran to the United States in the 1950s and built a life here.
And his son would like to see freedom come to a country he’s never visited but has a kinship to.
“It’s a world event,” Haji-Sheikh said on Monday. “I am not a big fan of the Islamic revolution because I am not Islamic. I would like to see the people of Iran be able to determine their own future rather than it be determined by a few people. It would be nice to see them having a stable government where the people can actually decide how they want it to go.
Green Bay Packers kicker Al Del Greco (10) talks with New York Giants kicker Ali Haji-Sheikh (6) on Sept. 15, 1985, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers defeated the Giants 23-20.
Iranians Celebrating And Americans Protesting
Haji-Sheikh hasn’t taken to the streets of his native Michigan to celebrate a liberation that hasn’t fully manifested mere days after the American and Israeli bombing and elimination of the Ayatollah.
“I’m so far removed from that,” Haji-Sheikh said. “My mom is from Michigan and of Eastern European background. My dad is from Iran. But it’s like, he hasn’t been back since I was in eighth grade, so that’s a long time ago. That was when the Shah was still in power, mid-70s, ‘74 or ’75, because if he ever went back after that he never would have left. They would have held him, so there was no intention of going back.
“But if things change he might want to go, you never know.”
Despite being removed from any activism about what is happening in Iran Haji-Sheikh is an astute observer.
“My favorite thing I’m seeing right now on TV is the Iranians in America celebrating because there’s a chance, a glimpse, maybe a hope for freedom,” Haji-Sheikh said. “And you have these people in New York protesting. What are you protesting?”
Pourdanesh Thanks America, Israel
Pourdanesh retired from the NFL in 2000 after a seven-year career with the Redskins and Steelers. The six-foot-six and 312-pound offensive tackle was born in Tehran. He proudly tells people he was the NFL’s first Iranian-born player.
Pourdanesh is much more visible and open about his feelings about his country than others. And, bottom line, he loves that President Donald Trump is bombing the Islamic regime.
“This is a great day for all Iranians across the world,” Pourdanesh posted on his Instagram account on Saturday when the war began. “Thank you, President Trump, thank you to the nation of Israel. Thank you for everybody that has been standing up for my people, my brothers and sisters in Iran across the world. This is a great day.
“The infamous dictator is dead – the one person who has contributed to deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iranians and other people around the world, if not more. So, congratulations to my Iranian brothers and sisters. Now, go and take back the country.”
This message was not a one-off. Pourdanesh has been posting about what has been happening in Iran since January, when people in Iran took to the streets demanding liberty and the government’s thugs began killing them, with some estimates rising to 36,500 deaths.
Offensive lineman Shar Pourdanesh (68) of the Pittsburgh Steelers blocks against defensive lineman Jevon Kearse (90) of the Tennessee Titans during a game at Three Rivers Stadium on Sept. 24, 2000, in Pittsburgh. The Titans defeated the Steelers 23-20. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
‘Islam Does Not Represent The Iranian People’
“[The] Islamic Republic does not represent the Iranian people,” Pourdanesh said in another post. “Islam does not represent the Iranian people. For almost 50 years, the Iranian people and our country of Iran has been taken hostage by a terrorist regime, and it’s time to take that regime down.”
Pourdanesh was not available for comment on Monday. I did speak to a handful of other Iranian-Americans on Monday. They didn’t play in the NFL, but their opinions are no less valuable than those of former NFL players.
And these people, some of them participating in rallies on behalf of a free Iran, do not understand the thinking of some Americans and mainstream media.
One complained that media that reports on reparations for black Americans based on slavery in the 1800s dismisses the Islamic takeover of the American Embassy in 1979 as an old grievance.
Another said his brother lives in England, where Prime Minister Keir Starmer immediately called the American and Israeli attacks on the Ayatollah’s regime “illegal” but, as the head of the Crown Prosecution Service took years to do the same of Muslim rape (grooming) gangs in the country.
(Starmer announced a national “statutory inquiry” in June 2025).
Offensive lineman Shar Pourdanesh of the Washington Redskins looks on from the sideline during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium on Sept. 7, 1997, in Pittsburgh. The Steelers defeated the Redskins 14-13. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
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Pourdanesh Calls Out NFL Silence
And finally, Pourdanesh put the NFL on blast. He said in yet another post that during his career, the NFL asked him to honor black history, asked him to stand for women’s rights, asked him to fight for equality for those who cannot defend themselves.
“I did everything they asked, and now I ask the NFL this: Where are you now? Why haven’t we heard a single word out of the NFL? NFL, Commissioner Roger Goodell, all the NFL teams out there, all the players who say they stand for social justice, where are you now?
“Why haven’t we heard a single word out of you with regard to the people who have been killed as of today? The very values you claim to espouse are being trampled right now. Why haven’t we heard a single word?”
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