Mike Tyson Inducted into Boxing Hall of Fame: Memories of His Greatest Night

Saturday, June 11th 2011, Mike Tyson walks to the parapet for his acceptance speech after being inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

He opens by repeatedly saying thank you, genuinely overcome with the emotion and magnitude of the occasion.  Moments later he returns to his seat with tear strewn eyes unable to complete his speech, finishing with the line, "Hey guys, I can't even finish this stuff."

No one in the audience mentions it, but they are all thinking the same thing. 

"Is this really the same guy who once terrified the heavyweight division, the same self-proclaimed, baddest man on the planet?" 

His transformation from Iron Mike Tyson into just plain old Mike is remarkable. Hell, he is even dressed resplendent in a neatly pressed pink shirt.

Rewind almost 23 years to June 27th,  1988, Trump Plaza, Atlantic City. The audience is at fever pitch with anticipation. An unbearably loud drone bellows out of the PA system, accompanied by an intimidating sound of chains clanging upon metal.

As the excitement increases a notch, Tyson starts his walk to the ring.

An unfeasibly large entourage accompany Tyson as they snake their way through the baying crowd to the ring.  Michael Spinks awaits almost mummified by his large white robe. Tyson then enters having worked up a full sweat wearing just black shorts and black boots.  There is no robe and no socks, the very antithesis of Spinks.

Ring Announcer Michael Buffer starts the pre-fight announcement and Tyson can be seen pacing around the ring with a scornful look on his face, much like a tiger in search of its first prey of the day.  Spinks remains in his corner with his back to the ring, the gazelle to Iron Mike's tiger.

One minute into the fight and Tyson lands a sledgehammer uppercut to Spinks' torso sending him to the canvas for the first time. Spinks beats the count but as referee Frank Cappuccino gestures to box on, Tyson is already moving into range, brutally dispatching Spinks to the canvas with another savage uppercut.

Spinks cuts a sad figure, sprawled on the canvas feeling for the ropes, not dissimilar to a local saloon drunkard reaching for his last whisky of the night. After failing to beat the count he falls through the ropes and Tyson walks away nonchalantly with his arms outstretched in triumph.

One more brutal victory for the baddest man on the planet.

Spinks was previously undefeated and never fought again, Tyson's career began to disintegrate shortly afterwards, and unbeknown to anyone on the night,  this was to be Mike Tyson's career high performance.

As we fast forward to 2011, the reason for the change in the 1988 Tyson and the 2011 version can be left to the man himself.

"I was born into chaos, now I'm looking for peace.   There's a Mike and there's a Tyson. Tyson was another person, I'm Mike now." 

There is no doubt that although the audience at the International Boxing Hall of Fame admired Mike for turning his life around, they were definitely more in awe of his feats as Tyson.