The Travelling Man: Recalling the 5 Occasions Mike Tyson Fought Overseas

On October 13, 2001, Mike Tyson defeated Brian Nielsen in Copenhagen, Denmark.

It was the fifth and final time Iron Mike would box outside of the United States.

He had previously fought twice in Japan, albeit with mixed results. He stopped Tony Tubbs in a hurry in Tokyo, but when he returned to the same venue, he suffered his first professional loss against James "Buster" Douglas.

After the Nevada Athletic State Commission revoked his license for biting the ear of Evander Holyfield, Tyson returned to the ring in January 1999.

His comeback included bouts against Julius Francis and Lou Savarese in England and Scotland, respectively, both of which ended quickly.

The clash with Nielsen that followed lasted longer. It was also the final outing for Tyson before he took on Lennox Lewis.

Here, Bleacher Report looks back at the occasions the heavyweight went overseas during a career that saw him finish with a 50-6 (44 KO) record.

1. Mike Tyson vs. Tony Tubbs

When: March 21, 1988

Where: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan

Result: Tyson won by TKO in Round 2

Promoter Don King took the Mike Tyson Show on the road in 1988, as they travelled to Tokyo, Japan, to defend the IBF, WBA and WBC heavyweight titles against Tony Tubbs.

The duo met in the first heavyweight title fight to be staged in Japan since George Foreman defeated Jose Roman in 1973.

Tyson was popular in the Far East—he had honeymooned in Japan after marrying actress Robin Givens just prior to his first bout outside of the United States.

He went into the fight with a 33-0 record and already had a date set for his next outing, against Michael Spinks, later in the year.

Tubbs lived up to his name—he was out of shape just over two years after losing the WBA belt to Tim Witherspoon.

Still, he was busy during the first round as he looked to counter.

The problem for him came toward the end of the next, when Tyson landed two right hands—one to the body, followed by another immediately to the head—that left his opponent unsteady on his feet.

A left hook followed, and Tubbs stuttered back toward the corner of the ring before collapsing. His trainer, Odell Hadley, rushed in to end proceedings.

"He was very strong, but it was just another fight for me," Tyson said afterward, per Earl Gustkey of the Los Angeles Times.

2. Mike Tyson vs. James Douglas

When: February 11, 1990 

Where: Tokyo Dome, Tokyo, Japan

Result: Douglas won by KO in Round 10

When Mike Tyson met James "Buster" Douglas, he was the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. He was unbeaten and had dismantled Carl Williams in 93 seconds in his most recent outing.

There was an aura around Iron Mike—he was known as "the baddest man on the planet" and had an air of invincibility.

Douglas, though, didn't care about reputations. Having lost his mother just prior to the bout, he was only focused on finding a way to win.

He started the bout in Tokyo as a 42-1 underdog but finished it as the new IBF, WBA and WBC world champion.

Journalist Gareth A. Davies recalled the fight in the Telegraph 20 years later:

"

When they stepped into the ring that night in the Dome, Douglas seemed impervious to Tyson’s punches and power. Watching it, there was an air of an upset growing through the fight.

We had been told that Douglas had no chance. He had been largely ignored in the pre-fight build up as the media fawned over Tyson.

Yet in the fight, as it wore on, Tyson looked more and more confused. Unsettled, even. Douglas would not budge. Mid-way through the fight, Tyson’s left eye was also swollen.

"

Douglas dominated until Tyson dropped him in the closing seconds of the eighth round.

However, the bell allowed him time to recover. Tyson's chance had gone, and Douglas knocked him down for the first time in his professional career with a four-punch combination in the 10th.

There is an iconic picture of Tyson on all fours, desperately trying to find and then insert the gum shield that had been knocked out of his mouth, before he failed to beat the count.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Snowden documented the fight on the 25th anniversary of the event that shocked the sporting world.

3. Mike Tyson vs. Julius Francis

When: January 29, 2000

Where: MEN Arena, Manchester, England

Result: Tyson won by TKO in Round 2

Mike Tyson fought in Europe for the first time early in 2000, travelling to Manchester, England, as he continued his comeback after serving a suspension.

Up against him was Julius Francis, a British and Commonwealth champion who was given his few minutes of fame. He also received a rather large cheque for his troubles.

Still, the Londoner insisted it wasn't all about the money. He told Timothy W. Smith of the New York Times: "It's about having pride. People who have seen me fight over the years know I'm a guy who goes in there and gives it his all and that's what I'm going to do."

Tyson's rape conviction in 1992 saw protests against his being allowed entry into England.

Home Office Secretary Jack Straw eventually ruled on the matter, though he was criticised for his decision to clear the fighter to travel.

Still, the crowds turned out to see the heavyweight on English soil. The stars also turned out to sit at ringside for the main event, with David Beckham and his wife Victoria present.

A national newspaper cheekily sponsored the soles of Francis' boots, expecting plenty of exposure. Tyson made sure they got it, too.

He knocked down his opponent five times during a bout that lasted just over four minutes.

Four years later, in an interview with William Lee for the Observer, Francis said of the experience: "The pain didn't kick in properly until I was back in the hotel, after the press conference; then I was in all sorts of agony. I lay in the bath for hours recovering. I won't forget the pain in a hurry."

4. Mike Tyson vs. Lou Savarese

When: June 24, 2000

Where: Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland

Result: Tyson won by TKO in Round 1

Mike Tyson dismantled Lou Savarese in 38 seconds at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland. It should have been over even sooner than that.

Savarese was an experienced campaigner in the heavyweight division, having previously fought George Foreman, Michael Grant and James "Buster" Douglas, who he knocked out inside a round.

He was initially booked to meet Tyson in Italy during the summer of 2000, but the fight date was pushed back to allow Tyson more time to train.

It turned out Iron Mike didn't need to train that long at all. 

The first meaningful punch he landed was a left hand that dropped his opponent to the canvas.

Savarese managed to rise in time to carry on, but Tyson greeted him with another flurry of shots. There was another knockdown, though it wasn't either of the boxers who were floored.

In his determination to get the job done in a hurry, Tyson failed to notice referee John Coyle attempting to step in and stop the contest after 26 seconds, knocking the official over.

However, Coyle managed to regain his senses quickly and called the bout off, saving Savarese—who was booed from the ring by the Scottish crowd—from the onslaught.

Tyson won by technical knockout and then gave a quite astonishing interview in the aftermath.

Per BBC News, he said of a potential showdown with Lennox Lewis: "It will be no match for me when I am ready. I will pretty much destroy him when I am ready. I will rip his heart out and feed it to him."

Coyle, meanwhile, told BBC Radio 5 Live, "I didn't take a full shot, I think if I had I would still be in [the] hospital."

5. Mike Tyson vs. Brian Nielsen

When: October 13, 2001

Where: Parken, Copenhagen, Denmark

Result: Tyson won—Nielsen retired after Round 6

After nearly a full year out of the ring, Mike Tyson travelled to Denmark to take on Brian Nielsen, a fighter who was made to look good by his record.

Super Brian went into the bout having lost just one of his 63 fights and had won the IBO and IBC heavyweight titles.

He had claimed a bronze medal at the 1992 Olympic Games, although by 2001 he was past his best, and the fight with Tyson was seen as a chance to boost Nielsen's bank balance.

There was controversy before the pair even met in the ring, with Nielsen using the term "abekat" to describe his rival at a press conference.

Per ESPN.com's account of the fight, Tyson was not impressed when he was told the term meant "monkey man" when translated. He said in a statement, "This will make me punish him even more than I had planned."

It was later revealed that the word was actually used in Danish to describe someone who acted foolishly, but the furore had helped raise the profile of the bout.

Tyson, though, didn't really seem that interested at all.

Journalist and television commentator John Rawling wrote in the Guardian, "The fact that Tyson, now 35 and going into his 54th professional fight, chose to employ a specialist fitness conditioner for this engagement, yet still weighed in at 17st 1lb, an astonishing 15lb heavier than at any stage of his career, prompts suggestions that he may have grown tired of the athlete's life."

Despite the extra weight, the American dominated Nielsen.

The Dane looked anything but great, though he did manage to rise from the canvas in the third round. By the end of the sixth, however, he was only able to see out of one eye and was physically spent.