After which fight did Mike Tyson make the famous comment about suffering a broken back?

Mike Tyson is perhaps one of the most popular boxers in history.

'The Baddest Man on the Planet' once made an infamous comment about a broken back in the aftermath of his memorable win against Clifford Etienne in 2003.

The event was titled 'Back to Business' and Tyson's performance in the ring that night truly justified the name. Coming off a devastating loss against Lennox Lewis, 'Iron Mike' was looking to bounce back, and he did exactly that.

After making short work of his opponent, Mike Tyson made the comment about his broken back while in conversation with Jim Gray in the ring.

"I broke my back. My back is broken!" exclaimed Mike Tyson.

🗣"I broke my back, my back is broken!"Back in 2003 Mike Tyson said that he broke his back when he knocked out the black rhino Clifford Etienne 🤨 pic.twitter.com/8aOi1HWHsL

— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) April 14, 2020

Years later, in an interview with Dan Canobbio, Mike Tyson offered some insight into his comments regarding his back.

He revealed that he had been suffering due to complications in his back for quite some time. However, he failed to articulate the exact nature of the injury in the heat of the moment.

Mike Tyson in his fight against Clifford Etienne

The heavyweight kingpin walked into the fight against Clifford Etienne brimming with confidence. Etienne was a highly rated boxer who was popularly hailed for his striking.

Tyson went on to butt heads with Etienne, who was touted as one of the most exciting fighters to watch, as the aggressor. That certainly paid dividends as Tyson put Etienne to sleep soon enough. A hard right in the first round of the fight was all that it took to bring the contest to an end.

Although Tyson eventually opened up about the nature of his injury after the fight, there was no discussion of it in the days leading up to the fight. However, his coach had expressed some concerns about taking a fight on the back of a loss.

Nevertheless, 'Iron Mike' refused to let the injury derail his efforts against his compatriot. What's more, he left fans with one of the most amusing in-ring interactions ever.