Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson looking fine (http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog+mike-tyson (http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog+mike-tyson ))

"A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles" (Christopher Reeve). Mike Tyson can relate to this quote because as a little boy growing up in the ghetto with no support from his father, he had to protect himself and his family. He was always causing trouble and getting into fights. Because of his behavior, he was constantly moving schools. He was always picked on and to defend himself, he taught himself how to fight. A hero must possess the will to overcome adversity and the confidence to be the best. Mike Tyson is a hero because he possesses many positive traits that made him a champion boxer. He strove for more and more to be the best. For example, as a kid learning to fight, Mike Tyson sneaked out to practice his punches in the dark. This shows true dedication and the willingness to be the best of the best.

Many kids growing up in the ghetto end up in either in jail or getting killed, but Mike Tyson channeled his negative energy towards boxing and used it as an advantage. "Growing up in the Brownsville slums, he seemed destined to live a life of poverty and crime. The discipline of the sport helped to reform Mike, and his school performance improved" (Mike Tyson). When Mike Tyson was growing up, his father abandoned him at a very young age. From then on his mother had to take care of him and his two siblings. He was always causing trouble and by the age of thirteen, he had been arrested thirty-eight times. Because of his high pitched voice and his small figure, he was often a target for bullies. In order to fight back, Mike Tyson developed his own style of street fighting. Mike's violent behavior was causing a lot of problems so he was constantly moving schools. "Mike spent much of his boyhood in a gang, vandalizing his neighborhood. On the verge of becoming a serious criminal, Tyson was sent to a reformatory school in upstate New York. Even that school could not handle Mike's violent temperament, and he was sent to another school reserved for the most difficult students." (Mike Tyson). There he met a counselor named Bob Stewart who had once been a boxing champion. In an agreement to work harder in school, Stewart taught Mike to use his fists. As the time progressed, Tyson was introduced to the legendary boxing manager Constantine "Cus" D' Amato."  If you want to stay here, and if you want to listen, you could be the world heavyweight champion someday." These words from D'Amato lured Tyson and he agreed to stay and train with D'Amato. D'Amato treated Tyson like a son and to Tyson, D'Amato was like the father that he never had.  In 1980, Amato agreed to become Tyson's legal guardian and trained him on a daily basis.

http://altunderground.com/2011/07/dealing-with-doubt/ (http://altunderground.com/2011/07/dealing-with-doubt/)

On November 22, 1986, Mike Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in history. "He was given his first title fight against Trevor Berbick for the World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight championship. Tyson won the title by a knockout in the second round. At the age of 20 years and four months he beat Patterson's record, become the youngest heavyweight" (Caryn). Out of the 22 fights, Mike Tyson had won 21 of them by knockout. After defeating Trevor Berbick for the WBC heavyweight championship on November 22, 1986, Mike Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion. Although he was popular because of his athletic talents, he was also infamous from a certain event. "Feeling that Holyfield had repeatedly head-butted him during the fight, Tyson sought and received a rematch. "However, the second fight, in 1998, was marred by an infamous incident in which Tyson bit off part of Holyfield's ear" (Ladner). During the rematch against Holyfield, Mike Tyson bit off a part of Holyfield's ear which disqualified him from the match. After the biting incident, Mike Tyson's boxing license was revoked by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Mike Tyson's athletic abilities gave him fame but his violent behavior also gave him a bad reputation.

"Mike Tyson was never afraid to fight anyone. However, Tyson's strength, quick fists and his notable defensive abilities intimidated his opponents, who were often afraid to hit the fighter. This gave Tyson the uncanny ability to level his opponents in only one round, and earned him the nickname "Iron Mike."" (Mike) Out of the 22 fights, Mike Tyson had won 21 of them by knockout. Other fighters were afraid to fight Mike Tyson because of his title and his fierce fighting style. "As his opponents fell, Mike's stature rose. He gained nicknames like "Kid Dynamite" and "Iron Mike" Many experts saw the brash young fighter as the savior of a dull and listless division" (Mike). Mike Tyson in his prime was one of the greatest fighters of all time. He was not easily defeated because his fighting mechanics were better than others. Even at a younger age, he fought someone much older and someone who had more experience. On March of 1985, Tyson made his first debut after defeating Hector Mercedes. Mike Tyson was only 18 years old when he knocked out Hector Mercedes out in one round. Mike Tyson gained fame at a rapid speed because of how big the difference of the gap was between him and the other fighters.  "On March 7, 1987, he acquired the World Boxing Association (WBA) belt when he defeated James Smith. After he defeated Tony Tucker on August 1, 1987, Tyson was unanimously recognized as champion by all three sanctioning organizations (WBC, WBA, and International Boxing Federation [IBF])." (Mike) Mike in his prime was nearly impossible to defeat. Mike Tyson took the titles of the three largest boxing organizations in a short period of time. Being born from a poor family who started out with nothing, Mike Tyson became one of the greatest fighters in the world. Mike Tyson is a hero because he inspires other people to work hard and do what they love. 

Mike Tyson Prime (http://makkasworld.blogspot.com/2010/10/blog-post_25.html (http://makkasworld.blogspot.com/2010/10/blog-post_25.html))

In order to be the very best, one must go beyond their limits. Mike Tyson wasn't a good fighter from the start but worked his way up to the point where he is now. Mike Tyson in his prime was nearly unbeatable and even intimidated the other fighters because of his strength and power. Mike Tyson inspires people because he worked hard and trained every day to do what he loved.  From his rocky start as a boy who was constantly picked on and causing trouble, he became the youngest heavyweight champion of all time. Mike Tyson is a hero because he became the very best despite his poor background. He went from having nothing to gaining massive fame in a short period of time, gaining millions and millions of dollars and even earning the title "The Youngest Heavyweight Champion in History." Mike Tyson inspires people to reach for more than they can and to give it all when it comes to doing what they love. This is why Mike Tyson is a true hero.