Highlights
- Mike Tyson lost out on his Olympic dream in controversial fashion.
- ‘Iron Mike’ lost out to Henry Tillman and missed out on a spot in the 1984 Olympics.
- Tyson later avenged those defeats by knocking out Tillman inside a round as a professional.
Some of the greatest names in heavyweight boxing history won medals at the Olympic level before going on to dazzle in the professional ranks. Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Anthony Joshua, Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis all made their mark on the Games prior to lifting the heavyweight championship of the world – and Mike Tyson believes that his name should be on that esteemed list.
‘Iron Mike’ certainly had plenty of talent as a young amateur. He won back-to-back gold medals for boxing at the Junior Olympics and, after becoming a Golden Gloves champion in 1984, Tyson looked destined to take a shot at Olympic glory in Los Angeles later that year.
The only thing standing between the hard-hitting youngster and the USA boxing team was the Olympic trials. However, in a shock result, Tyson was upset by Henry Tillman in the final. All was not lost, though, as the New York-born hopeful was granted a rematch with Tillman the next month in a box-off. He could have kept his Olympic dream alive with a win.
Tyson again found himself on the wrong end of the scorecards – this time via a controversial split decision. Defeating Tillman was never going to be an easy task as he was six years older and four inches taller than a young Tyson. Despite those disadvantages, the heavyweight icon still claims that he was wronged by the boxing establishment.
Tyson has Never Forgiven Olympic Selectors Over the Losses to Tillman
‘Iron Mike’ believes bosses didn’t want to send him to the Games
Per talkSPORT, the crowd in attendance at the second fight loudly booed the decision. Tyson would later reveal his anger at the verdict:
“When they announced the decision, I couldn’t believe they gave it to Tillman. The whole amateur boxing establishment hated me. They didn’t like my cocky Brownsville attitude. I was behaving myself but you could still see that New York swagger coming out.”
To his credit, Tillman would go on to win gold for the USA in Los Angeles. However, his career as a professional never came close to that of Tyson. Not letting his Olympic setback affect his progress, Tyson became the youngest world heavyweight champion at the age of just 20 when he defeated Trevor Berbick in November 1986.
Tyson raced to an undefeated 37-0 by the age of 23 before his shock loss to James ‘Buster’ Douglas in February 1990. When it was time to get back into the ring after that defeat, Mike chose a familiar foe; Henry Tillman.
With redemption in his mind, Tyson comfortably avenged his previous performances by brutally knocking Tilman out in the first round. Tilman retired with a 25-6 record, losing the biggest fight of his pro career to Evander Holyfield in a failed challenge for the world cruiserweight championship.
By contrast, Tyson is still going strong 40 years later as he prepares to fight Jake Paul in November. Ironically, Paul has now vowed to make an unlikely bid for Olympic boxing history by winning gold for Team USA at the 2028 Olympic Games. Tyson is sure to have plenty to say about Paul’s plan as the bout draws closer.
