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 on "The Ring"s list of 100 greatest punchers of all time, and No. 1 in the ESPN.com list of "The Hardest Hitters in Heavyweight History." Sky Sports described him as "perhaps the most ferocious fighter to step into a professional ring." He has been inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame. Michael Gerard Tyson was born in Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York on June 30, 1966. He has an elder brother named Rodney (born c. 1961) and had an elder sister named Denise, who died of a heart attack at age 24 in