Mike Tyson vs Clifford Etienne: The final win of Iron Mike's professional boxing career

Three years before finally deciding to hang up the boxing gloves in 2005, Mike Tyson secured his last victory as a professional boxer. His opponent was heavyweight boxer Clifford Etienne, known for his fierce yet high-volume, relentless striking.

The fight was stopped in the very first round when 'Iron Mike' landed a right hand that knocked Etienne out. Mike Tyson's aggressive approach to the fight can be attributed to how things played out in his previous fight.

Prior to fighting Etienne, Tyson had fought former WBC and IBF heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis in a title contention matchup. Lewis demonstrated a striking masterclass and outpointed Mike Tyson before knocking him out in the eighth round of the match.

It was announced later that Mike Tyson would fight 2000's "Most Exciting Fighter to Watch" - Clifford Etienne. At the time, Etienne was considered a fringe contender and Mike Tyson was going to be his big break.The fight was announced only a few months after Tyson's loss to Lewis and Tyson's camp (namely Freddie Roach) expressed their concern for the former champ's unpreparedness.

However, Mike Tyson rose above all criticism and proved his caliber as a ferocious striker with the first-round KO. This was Tyson's 50th and final victory as a professional boxer.

🗣"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

Mike Tyson is not yet done with the sport of boxing

As a professional boxer, Mike Tyson announced his retirement after suffering a loss to Kevin McBride. The bout was supposed to serve as a tune-up fight for Tyson as McBride was considered by many to be a journeyman of the sport. However, Kevin McBride defied all oddsmaker's opinions and emerged the victor with a 7th round TKO.

Almost 15 years later, in 2020, Mike Tyson launched his Legends Only League, with the aim of providing a platform for veterans of various sports to compete against each other. In an eight-round exhibition bout under the Triller banner, Mike Tyson fought against legendary boxer Roy Jones Jr. in November 2020.

The fight was a back-and-forth affair and was ruled a draw. The pay-per-view card, which also featured Jake Paul, sold over 1.2 million pay-per-views. Such numbers indicate that Tyson still holds the power to draw many eyeballs even at 54 years of age.

It is speculated that Mike Tyson will be fighting Evander Holyfield next if negotiations pan out. Holyfield recently claimed that a trilogy bout with Mike Tyson might generate over $100 million in pay-per-view revenue.