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. Mitch Green win a lopsided unanimous decision by two scores of 9–1 and one score of 8–2. Though the two fighters would never again face each other in a boxing ring, Tyson and Green were involved in a high-profile street fight two years later, by which time Tyson was the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion. On August 24, 1988, Green confronted Tyson at Dapper Dan's in Harlem, claiming that Tyson's promoter Don King owed him money. The argument then escalated into a physical confrontation during which Tyson landed a straight right hand across Green's face, completely shutting Green's left eye and opening a cut