BackMike Tyson got his career back on track by knocking out Francois Botha in January 1999.
The former undisputed heavyweight champion was banned from boxing after his second loss to Evander Holyfield.
‘Iron Mike’ got disqualified after he took a bite out of his rival’s ear in the third round of their June 1997 rematch.
Mike Tyson was hit with a $3 million fine and a 15-month ban from boxing for his infamous foul.
It took less than three minutes for Mike Tyson to commit another foul in his comeback fight.
In the final 10 seconds of round one, Tyson grabbed Francois Botha’s arm, twisted it, and hit him with an illegal elbow from the clinch position.
The South African heavyweight tried to punch his way out of his opponent’s grip, but shots continued to fly when the bell sounded to end the round. Several cornermen and a bunch of security guards rushed into the ring to break up the melee when referee Richard Steele was unable to do so.
Both men got warnings from the referee, but after a brief delay, round two got underway.
Tyson continued to grab Botha, who told the referee his arm could break if the fouling continued.
Steele gave Tyson three warnings before finally deducting a point when the boxing legend pushed Botha after being instructed to break.
Botha continued to box beautifully in rounds three and four. After 12 minutes of action, ‘The White Buffalo’ was up on two of the scorecards by a 40-35 margin and 39-36 in the eyes of the third judge.
The fifth frame was going his way, too, until Tyson landed a massive right-hand punch on his chin in the final 10 seconds.
Botha tried to get up, but he fell into the ropes, and the fight was waved off at 2:59 of round five.
After a blockbuster announcement, the trail seems to have gone cold on Tyson v Mayweather. Do you reckon it will go ahead, and if it does, who wins?
Mike Tyson returned from almost 20 years in retirement to fight Jake Paul in November 2024.
The 59-year-old managed to go the eight-round distance, but he looked like a shadow of his former self as he lost by unanimous decision.
10 months later, Tyson announced that he’s signed a deal to face Floyd Mayweather in an exhibition.
Tyson made claims about the fight date and venue – but no official announcement has been made.
“It’s going to be in March, and it’s going to be in Africa,” he told UFC legend Conor McGregor during his trip to Dublin, Ireland, in December.
“It’s going to be incredible, it’s going to break all the records, and it’s going to be one of the biggest events in the history of the sport.”
Back
Top| Privacy StatementTerms of ServiceContact | Refresh  |