‘Iron’ Mike’s amateur boxing career began in the early 1980s when he was just a teenager.
He had a troubled upbringing and numerous run-ins with the law. But Tyson’s raw talent and athleticism caught the attention of legendary boxing trainer Cus D’Amato.
Under the latter’s tutelage, Mike Tyson quickly developed into one of the most exciting young prospects in the sport, earning a reputation for his ferocious punches and unrelenting pressure in the ring. He won the gold medal during two consecutive Junior Olympic Games (’81 & ’82).
And a year before he turned professional, he won gold at the National Golden Gloves. Undoubtedly, Tyson’s amateur career laid the foundation for his later success as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.
@BoxingKingdom14 shared a minute-long video of a young Mike Tyson, in an amateur boxer’s blue vest-shorts fighting against a seemingly older fighter in red. The post came about yesterday and has already attracted nearly a million views and more than a thousand retweets. Their caption read, “MIKE TYSON AT 15 AGAINST A 24-YEAR-OLD OPPONENT!“
Most of the fans and followers are aware of the deadly abilities of ‘Iron’ Mike during his prime. But still, even some of the die-hards could barely fathom that he would have achieved a knockout feat as a teenager! Some even mocked the very knockout itself! Nevertheless, they eagerly weighed in on the video clip and fervently expressed their opinions and thoughts.
Fans pour in mixed reactions to the KO video
@BenGC_, despite the result, remained doubtful and commented that that knockdown is still looking “suspicious”.
@LittleMaxBoxing, taking to pun, mentioned perhaps the guy (in red) got a whiff of ‘Iron’ Mike’s strength and decided to close his eyes and meditate for a while.
Concurring with @BenGC_, @tonyfarmery responded that movies about boxing tend to have more believable knockouts!
@CypriotGeeza explained a wishful thought on what would have happened if, along with the legendary trainer Cus D’Amato, another legendary trainer Teddy Atlas, who, incidentally, was in their camp during the initial days, continued for a much longer tenure.
A video uploaded by @thetrueboxing5871 two years ago is titled ‘A 15-Year-Old Mike Tyson Vs Joe Cortez – Junior Olympics 1981- Amateur boxing.’ It reportedly showcases ‘Iron’ Mike’s final campaign fight against Joe Cortez during the National Junior Olympic held in North Carolina in 1981.
Tyson won the fight with a right-left combo which sent Cortez down to the canvas. As a young amateur boxer, the notable instance of his prowess in the ring displayed his fearlessness and determination.