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. Pinklon Thomas Mike Tyson vs. Pinklon Thomas Mike Tyson vs. Pinklon Thomas, billed as "Hard Road to Glory", was a professional boxing match contested on May 30, 1987, for the WBA and WBC heavyweight championships. In 1986, the three major boxing organizations, the WBA, WBC and IBF, teamed with HBO to develop the heavyweight unification series, a tournament that would ultimately unify all three Heavyweight titles and determine the next Undisputed Champion. The first fight in the series pitted WBC Heavyweight champion Pinklon Thomas against Trevor Berbick on March 22, 1986. Berbick captured the WBC Heavyweight title after defeating Thomas by unanimous