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Mike Tyson’s career is one of the greatest stories in the sport of boxing. 'Iron Mike' is a two-time gold medalist at the National Junior Olympics, a Golden Gloves winner, and a former undisputed world heavyweight champion. But the highest highs have to come with some lows, so how many losses does the legendary boxer have?
Arguably one of the most famous upsets in sports history is Mike Tyson’s shock loss to Buster Douglas. The KO loss was the first of Tyson’s career. The Brooklyn-based fighter was a huge betting favorite for the fight and was expected to make quick work of Douglas. However, amidst personal struggles and changes in his coaching team, Tyson suffered his first-ever KO loss.
He did land an uppercut in the eighth round that floored his opponent. But Douglas unexpectedly recovered and landed an uppercut combination of his own in the 10th round. Tyson was then downed and lost by KO.
Tyson vs. Holyfield is one of the most memorable match-ups in boxing. Holyfield retired once prior to his fight with Tyson and was considered a huge underdog, but proved critics and oddsmakers wrong. The 34-year-old fighter at the time handed Tyson a TKO loss in round 11 to become a three-time heavyweight champion.
Following the loss, a rematch was set up between the two fighters in which the controversial ear-biting incident took place. Tyson bit Holyfield once and the fight was temporarily halted. But Tyson bit the ear of Holyfield again in the third round and was subsequently disqualified and handed his third loss.
Mike Tyson vs. Lennox Lewis and retirement
One of the most anticipated fights in heavyweight boxing in the 2000s was Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson. Following the trash-talking, press conference brawls, and Tyson’s infamous ‘I want your heart, I want to eat your children’ comments, the two faced off on June 8th, 2002 in Memphis, Tennessee.
Lewis won most of the rounds on the Judges’ scorecards and knocked out Tyson with a right hand in the eighth round. Tyson was respectful of Lewis post-defeat and praised him.
Tyson’s next two losses came against British boxer Danny Williams and journeyman Kevin McBride. Tyson was battling bankruptcy and personal turmoil at the time, and retirement was on the horizon at the age of 39.
The New York-born fighter lost two fights on the trot. The first came via KO and the second came when he retired from the corner in the second round. He announced his retirement from the sport thereafter.
Mike Tyson finished his career with a record of 50 wins, 6 losses, and 2 no-contests.
Check out a compilation of Tyson's losses below:
