Widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, Mike Tyson was born on June 30, 1966, in Brooklyn, New York. “Iron Mike,” as he is affectionately known was a dominant figure in his boxing days and was feared for his fierce and very heavy punching power, resilience, skill and strength.
Tyson’s road to stardom began at the 1981 Junior Olympics when he impressively won gold after knocking out his opponent in the first round after 9 seconds. He followed it up with another gold medal at the 1982 Junior Olympics, this time bettering his first-round knockout of 9 seconds the previous year by taking down his opponent within 8 seconds.
He began his professional career in 1985 at the age of 18 when he squared off against Hector Mercedes, knocking him out in the first round. Tyson went on to become the youngest heavyweight boxing champion of the world at the age of 20 the following year.
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“Iron Mike” hung his gloves in 2005 with an incredible professional record of 50 wins and 6 losses with 44 of his victories ending in knockouts.
He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2011. Outside of boxing, Tyson has also starred in various movies.
Just recently, he revealed details about his ongoing project to open a luxurious California weed resort where growers and guests can puff without any hindrance.
The over-the-top weed resort in the middle of the California desert comes on the back of his 2016 Tyson Holistic company that sells marijuana products and other edibles.
The 52-year-old former world heavyweight champ, who said weed helped him endure years of substance abuse after his boxing career, broke grounds for the cannabis resort project last year.
The ranch, which will occupy 407 acres of space, is “designed to be a wonderland of weed with tourist attractions, a luxury hotel, glamping tents, a lazy river that will take a full hour to cross, and an amphitheatre for music festivals and concerts,” reports the Daily Mail.
There will also be a Tyson University to teach cannabis-cultivation techniques to future farmers, the report added.
To celebrate the former boxing champ’s birthday and legacy, Face2Face Africa shares with you 10 of his greatest knockouts.
Scroll through to take a look at them in no particular order:
