Boxing’s Greats of the States | New York: Mike Tyson

Boxers come from every corner of the globe. Sometimes, fighters are products of their environment, favoring styles prevalent in the country or state from which they hail. Various regions of the United States are considered factories for great fighters, though that certainly is not the case with each state. In this weekly Sherdog.com series, the spotlight will shine on the best boxer of all-time from each of the 50 states. Fighters do not necessarily need to be born in a given state to represent it; they simply need to be associated with it.

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While some consider him vastly overrated from a historical perspective, few fighters have ever captured the imagination of the masses like Mike Tyson. With Muhammad Ali retired and the sport of boxing in a slow decline nationwide in terms of television ratings and interest, “Iron Mike” came along at exactly the right time. In the mid-1980s, Tyson was the captivating force that breathed new life into the heavyweight division.

His one-of-a-kind ferocity, blinding hand speed and crushing power terrified many opponents before they ever set foot in the ring with him. Never was that more apparent than in the case of Michael Spinks. In the conversation for the greatest light heavyweight of all-time, Spinks was 31-0 when he faced Tyson for the undisputed heavyweight championship on June 27, 1998. He lasted just 91 seconds and never fought again. Tyson won his first 37 fights, 33 of them by knockout. Some thought him to be invincible.

Everything changed in February 1990 at the Tokyo Dome in Japan, where Tyson was shockingly knocked out by James “Buster” Douglas -- a 42-to-1 underdog. Even though the Brooklyn, New York, native went on to recapture a piece of the heavyweight title, the feeling around him was never the same. The rest of his career was marred by inconsistency and controversy, including a six-year prison sentence for rape in 1992 and the infamous incident in which he was disqualified for biting off a piece of Evander Holyfield’s ear in their June 1997 rematch. Tyson retired with a 50-6 record following a 2005 loss to Kevin McBride and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame some six years later.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Lou Ambers, Iran Barkley, Carmen Basilio, Riddick Bowe, Zab Judah, Benny Leonard, Jake LaMotta, Buddy McGirt, Rocky Graziano.