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. Julius Francis Mike Tyson vs. Julius Francis Mike Tyson vs. Julius Francis was a professional boxing match contested on 29 January 2000. Tyson's previous fight had come against Orlin Norris three months prior. The fight was another controversial one for Tyson, who hit Norris with left hand after the first bell had rang that dropped him to the canvas. Norris fell awkwardly and injured his right knee in the process and decided that he could not continue on with the fight, which was then declared a no-contest after only one round. Originally, Tyson stated that he would be in favor of a