The Destruction of the Indestructible Mike Tyson

CLEVELAND - I never cared about the sport of boxing, nor did I watch it growing up. But Mike Tyson was awesome enough, dominant enough and wildly popular enough in the late 1980's that I paid close attention to his career and personal life.

On February 11, 1990, Tyson dropped my jaw.

Yes, it has been exactly 20 years since the monumental upset that took place thousands of miles away in Tokyo, Japan. The indestructible Tyson, then 23 was pummeled by a non-descript nobody named James "Buster" Douglas. For me to not give a hoot about professional boxing, the colossal impact of this historic event was apparent to me from the moment I got word. Every man that I was around reacted as though the moon had fallen out of the sky when Douglas leveled Tyson in the 10th round.

Because Tyson was that unstoppable.

Ever since Tyson became the youngest man to earn the heavyweight title in 1986, he was one of the most celebrated and acclaimed figures in sports. He was by far boxing's most intimidating force and his superlative excellence and pervasive popularity made him a pop culture icon early on. There was even a Nintendo video game created for him called "Mike Tyson's Punch Out." He was more than just the man of steel as his "Iron" nicknamed indicated. He was an absolute force of nature. I'll never forget how he famously vanquished Michael Spinks in the summer of 1988 in just 91 seconds, which actually ended Spinks' pro career. This was Tyson at the absolute apex of his fame and skill and his aura just seemed mythical.

Add all that up, plus the fact that he'd unified all three title belts to become "the undisputed champion of the world," and the magnitude of the Douglas upset comes into plain focus. And let's not forget the fact that Tyson was a searing 37-0 (33 knockouts) going into the 1990 contest with Douglas and a 42-1 favorite.

Sheesh.

I was just 12 years old at the time of that legendary fight, but it remains indelible. After the epic upset, Tyson was never the same personally or professionally. A year and a half later, he was charged with rape and sent to prison in 1992. Once he was released in 1995, he fought a series of journeymen and predictably dominated. Just when it seemed as if he was ascending back to his glory days, he ran into Evander Holyfield who was older but for years had been considered the one superstar fighter who could realistically challenge Tyson. In their November 1996 match, Holyfield clobbered him and came close to repeating the feat in June 1997 before Tyson infamously and savagely bit his ears while in the ring. After that, Tyson became vilified and was largely ostracized from the sport for a short time. Then his career became one sideshow after another until he unceremoniously bowed out in 2005 in defeat.

The odyssey of Mike Tyson is a fascinating one, but its most pivotal turning point will forever be the stunning night 20 years ago that forever changed the face of boxing.

And turned Tyson into a mortal.