Mike Tyson Chronology
Posted: Monday October 19, 1998 07:03 PM
NEW YORK (CNN/SI) -- Here's a historical look at Mike Tyson's life.
1978 -- Arrested for purse snatching as a 12-year-old in Brooklyn and sent to Tryon School for Boys.
1979 -- A boxing instructor at a New York State correction facility for boys brought Tyson to the attention of Cus D'Amato, who had guided Floyd Patterson to the heavyweight title.
1982 -- Expelled from Catskill High School for a series of transgressions.
1984 -- D'Amato becomes Tyson's legal guardian.
November 4, 1985 -- D'Amato dies of pneumonia.
March 6, 1985 -- In his professional debut, Tyson defeats Hector Mercedes in one round.
November 22, 1986 -- Tyson knocks out Trevor Berbick in the second round, winning the WBC heavyweight title to become the youngest
heavyweight champion in history at age 20.
March 3, 1987 -- Tyson defeats James "Bonecrusher" Smith at Las Vegas to win the WBA heavyweight title.
August 1, 1987 -- Tyson decisions Tony Tucker to retain the WBA-WBC heavyweight titles and win the IBF heavyweight title.
February 9, 1988 -- Actress Robin Givens and Tyson are married in New York.
June 17, 1988 -- Givens and her family go public with tales of beatings by Tyson.
June 27, 1988 -- Tyson sues manager Bill Cayton to break their contract, then knocks out Michael Spinks in 91 seconds to retain the world heavyweight title.
July 27, 1988 -- Settles the Cayton suit out of court, reducing Cayton's managerial share from one-third to 20 percent of purses.
August 23, 1988 -- Breaks a bone in his right hand in a 4 a.m. street brawl with professional fighter Mitch Green in Harlem.
September 4, 1988 -- Tyson is knocked unconscious after driving his BMW into a tree. Three days later, the New York Daily News reportsm the accident was a "suicide attempt" caused by a "chemical imbalance" that made him violent and irrational.
September 30, 1988 -- Givens says in a nationally televised interview that Tyson is a manic-depressive and that she is afraid of him.
Tyson sits meekly next to her.
October 7, 1988 -- Givens files for divorce.
October 14, 1988 -- Tyson countersues Givens for divorce and annulment.
October 26, 1988 -- Tyson becomes partners with Don King.
December 12, 1988 -- Sandra Miller of New York sues Tyson for allegedly grabbing her, propositioning her and insulting her at a
nightclub. A jury later finds Tyson guilty of battery, fining him only $100.
December 15, 1988 -- Lori Davis of New York sues Tyson for allegedly grabbing her buttocks while she was dancing at the same nightclub
on the same night as the incident with Miller.
February 14, 1989 -- Tyson and Givens are divorced in the Dominican Republic.
April 9, 1989 -- Accused of striking a parking attendant three times with an open hand outside a Los Angeles nightclub after the attendant asked Tyson to move his Mercedes-Benz out of a spot
reserved for the club's owner. The charges are later dropped due to lack of witness cooperation.
February 11, 1990 -- In a stunning upset, Tyson is knocked out by James "Buster" Douglas in the 10th round and loses his world heavyweight title.
November 1, 1990 -- A New York City civil jury finds Tyson committed battery in the Sandra Miller case, but Miller is awarded just $100
in damages because the jury decides Tyson's behavior was "not outrageous."
June 28, 1991 -- In what would be his last fight before his legal problems, Tyson defeats Razor Ruddock in 12 rounds.
July 18, 1991 -- Tyson meets Desiree Washington, a Miss Black America contestant, at a pageant rehearsal. They go to the boxer's
hotel room in the early morning hours.
July 22, 1991 -- Washington files a complaint with police accusing Tyson of rape.
September 9, 1991 -- A special grand jury indicts Tyson on rape and three other charges. Two days later, he is booked in Indianapolis
and released on $30,000 cash bond.
February 10, 1992 -- After nine hours of deliberation, Tyson is found guilty on one count of rape and two counts of deviate sexual
conduct.
March 26, 1992 -- Superior Court Judge Patricia Gifford sentences Tyson to 10 years in prison, suspending four. She orders him to serve the term immediately.
October 28, 1992 -- Tyson's father, Jimmy Kirkpatrick, dies in Brooklyn, New York. Tyson does not ask for a leave to attend the funeral.
August 6, 1993 -- By a 2-1 vote, the Indiana Court of Appeals upholds Tyson's conviction.
September 2, 1993 -- The Indiana Supreme Court denies Tyson's appeal without comment.
March 25, 1995 -- Tyson is released from the Indiana Youth Center near Plainfield, Indiana.
August 19, 1995 -- Begins comeback with 89-second victory over Peter McNeeley in Las Vegas.
December 16, 1995 -- Knocks out Buster Mathis, Jr. in third round in Philadelphia.
March 16, 1996 -- Knocks out Frank Bruno in third round to win the WBC heavyweight title in Las Vegas.
November 9, 1996 -- Loses to Evander Holyfield when referee Mitch Halpern stops the bout in the 11th round.
June 28, 1997 -- Tyson is disqualified after the third round of his rematch with Holyfield after he bites Holyfield twice, once on each ear. Tyson claims he was retaliating for a head butt inflicted by Holyfield that opened up a gash above his right eye. Referee Mills Lane ruled the butt was accidental.
July 9, 1997 -- The Nevada State Athletic Commission, in a unanimous voice vote, revoked Mike Tyson's boxing license and fined him $3 million for biting Holyfield.
October 16, 1997 -- Ordered to pay boxer Mitch Green $45,000 even though a jury ruled the former heavyweight champion was provoked into a Harlem street fight in 1988.
October 29, 1997 -- Broke a rib and punctured a lung on his right side when his motorcycle skidded off a Connecticut highway after
hitting a patch of sand.
March 5, 1998 -- Filed a $100 million lawsuit in U.S. District Court in New York against Don King, accusing the promoter of cheating him out of tens of millions of dollars.
March 9, 1998 -- Filed a lawsuit against former managers Rory Holloway and John Horne, claiming they betrayed him by arranging a deal that made King the former heavyweight champion's exclusive
promoter.
March 9, 1998 -- Sherry Cole and Chevelle Butts filed a $22 million lawsuit against Tyson claiming he verbally and physically abused them March 1 at a Washington bistro them at a restaurant after his sexual advances toward one of them were spurned.
July 16, 1998 -- The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated a $4.4 million award that a jury decided boxer Tyson owes former trainer Kevin Rooney for unjustly firing him.
July 17, 1998 -- Applied for a boxing license in New Jersey.
July 29, 1998 -- Appeared before the New Jersey Athletic Control Board to get a boxing license to resume his career. Tyson first choked back tears as he apologized for biting Evander Holyfield's
ears. At the end of his 35-minute appearance, however, Tyson cursed in front of regulators after being continually questioned about
biting Holyfield.
August 13, 1998 -- On the eve of a meeting of the New Jersey Athletic Control Board, Tyson's advisers abruptly withdrew his application for a New Jersey boxing license.
August 31, 1998 -- Was involved in a minor auto accident in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and had to be restrained by bodyguards from fighting the driver of the other car.
September 2, 1998 -- Richard Hardick filed an assault charge against Tyson. Hardick says he was kicked in the groin by Tyson after his car rear-ended a Mercedes driven by Tyson's wife, Monica, on August 31.
September 3, 1998 -- Abmielec Saucedo filed a criminal assault against Tyson claiming Tyson punched him in the face as Saucedo talked with another driver following the accident of August 31.
October 13, 1998 -- The psychiatric report of Tyson is released. According to doctors who examined him for five days, the report states Tyson is depressed and lacks self-esteem, but is mentally fit to return to boxing. The psychiatrists believe Tyson most likely won't "snap" again as he did when he bit Holyfield.
October 19, 1998 -- The Nevada Athletic Commission voted 4-1 to restore Tyson's boxing license, with the lone holdout commissioner
James Nave.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
| 
