Mike Tyson this combination. Expectations for Tyson were extremely high, and he was the favorite to win the heavyweight unification series, a tournament designed to establish an undisputed heavyweight champion. Tyson defended his title against James Smith on March 7, 1987, in Las Vegas, Nevada. He won by unanimous decision and added Smith's World Boxing Association (WBA) title to his existing belt. "Tyson-mania" in the media was becoming rampant. He beat Pinklon Thomas in May by TKO in the sixth round. On August 1 he took the International Boxing Federation (IBF) title from Tony Tucker in a twelve round unanimous decision, with
Mike Tyson vs. Alex Stewart Mike Tyson vs. Alex Stewart Mike Tyson vs. Alex Stewart, billed as "The Hard Way Back", was a professional boxing match contested on December 8, 1990. On February 11, 1990, Mike Tyson endured an upset loss to James "Buster" Douglas that cost him the undisputed Heavyweight Championship. Though he had hoped for a rematch, Douglas instead opted to face the number one contender, Evander Holyfield. As such, Tyson was forced to go down the comeback trail. His first opponent was 1984 Olympic Gold Medalist Henry Tillman, who had twice defeated Tyson as an amateur. Tyson easily defeated Tillman, knocking him