Mike Tyson has a doppelganger unknown to most who campaigned around the same time the ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’ was a wrecking ball.
Michael Gerard Tyson will always be the most infamous Tyson. However, there’s a little-known namesake who campaigned around the same time.
Enter ‘Iowa Mike Tyson,’ a heavyweight who turned professional in 1986 when the other Mike Tyson ruled the world. It must have been a tough gig for any top division fighter starting out in those days, knowing the world’s youngest and most ferocious heavyweight champion would be waiting for them if they got that far. But this was particularly tough on 6″ 1′ Michael Tyson from Davenport via Mississippi.
Sharing the same name as Tyson was a coincidence enough without competing in the same weight class simultaneously. That was Michael’s fate, and it didn’t go well.
Making his entrance into the pro ranks in December, exactly one month after ‘Iron’ Mike won the title for the first time, ‘Iowa’ Mike lost to the unheralded ten-loss Chuck Gardner at the Sheraton-Northwest Hotel in Brooklyn Par via decision.
That’s when the knockouts began.
Three months later, Jerry Halstead took him out in five rounds in Oklahoma City before legendary referee Lou Filippo [of Rocky fame] oversaw a first-round stoppage against Lionel Washington at the Inglewood Forum in June 1987.
A three-round loss to Andre Smith followed before Tyson stopped the knockout rot when he faced future boxing promoter Bobby Hitz at the Civic Center in Melrose Park in March 1988. Two months later, the KOs returned as Tyson went down against Kimmuel Odum and Dicky Ryan over nine months between mid-88 and early 1989.
Tyson’s 0-7 results must have caused some career evaluation, as he was out of the ring for two years and ten months. During that time, his more famous namesake saw his career implode against James Buster Douglas.
By the time Michael returned, the other Mike was on the verge of a spell in prison and would see his own tenure end for four long years. Tyson became a money-thirsty shell of his former self and would never regain the ability he enjoyed as a teenager and into his early twenties.
Winning the world heavyweight title and being the youngest ever to achieve the benchmark will probably be the only takeaway from the most visible top-flight career of all time.
In contrast, ‘Iowa’ Michael’s fairytale ending wasn’t to be any fairytale. He lost in the first round against Lon Liebergen on December 10, 1991, and never fought again.
Since then, attempts to update boxing fans on Michael’s whereabouts quickly ended. Not to be confused with Tyson Mike of Jamaica, Iowa, or a Mike Tyson on LinkedIn with zero profile, there’s no trace of the ‘other Mike’ following the end of his punching days.
He merely had the most unfortunate name in boxing in the most unfortunate era.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
