"Me, Mike, the Knockout Kid"

Today is the 20 year anniversary of the Buster Douglas/Tyson superbrawl
He was the most feared person in all of the years for 15+ years. To many, he still is. To most, he is just bat-shit crazy.
Iron Mike, Kid dynomite, the baddest man in the land, the knockout kid, or simply Tyson. All of his names are synonomous with knockouts, facial tattoos, rape, and appendage biting. Regardless, he was an influencial man in not only sports, but all facets of the American world.
Tyson derived from the Bed-Sty neighborhood of Brooklyn. His pops abandoned him and his family when Mike was 2.
By the age of 13, Mike was arrested 38 times.
Mike spent his early years at the Tryon School for Boys in upstate New York, a controversial "learning" facility recently featured in NY Mag.
He was discovered by a teacher there who was amazed by his strong fighting skills. He bounced around different training facilities and ended up making the US Junior Olympic team, where he still holds a record-quickest knockout, 8 seconds.
His professional career quickly took off. Iron Mike won his first 26 of 28 fights by knockout.

At the age of 20, Tyson became the youngest ever to win the WBC heavyweight title.
He experienced 3 years of immense success, which ultimately lead to his controversies outside of the ring. His divorce to then-wife Robin Givens, contract disputes with Don King, firing of his longime trainer Kevin Rooney all contributed. 1990 marked his loss of the undisputed heavy weight title to Buster Douglass.
Tyson was arrested in 1991 for alleged rape of an 18yr old (girl).Tyson didnt fight again until 1995.

Tyson tried to resurrect his career by agreeing to fight another comeback kid, Evander Holyfield. The first bout, which Tyson was the great favorite, led to a Holyfield win, by TKO, in the 11th.
Tyson agreed to fight Holyfield again in 1997. The purse was a then-record, Tyson receiving $30 mil and Holyfield receiving $35 mil. We all know what happened, the "bite fight."
Tyson agreed to fight Lennox Lewis, another attempt to regain the heavyweight title, but a brawl between the two that occured during a press conference put any chances to rest.
Tyson's career was officially over. He committed himself to missionary work, pigeon tending, a stunt with the WWF, and recreating his "failure of a life."
However, bankruptcy and a felony DUI kept Tyson from ever becoming an upstanding citizen. Coined by many as the "greatest boxer of all time," Tyson's uneducated childhood, paired with media stardom and the popular demand for his succees, led to his immaculate failure.
For what its worth, Tyson is still a champion in my eyes, even if just for comedic value.