Mike Tyson Through the Ages: from 1966 Brooklyn Birth to Historic Modern Bouts

Your complete guide to Mike Tyson Through the Ages: from 1966 Brooklyn Birth to Historic Modern Bouts, including critical updates.

The transition upstate saved Tyson’s life. Committed to the Tryon School for Boys in Johnstown, New York, Tyson showed extreme behavioral volatility alongside staggering physical strength. Weighing nearly 200 pounds of dense muscle at just 13 years old, he intimidated both peers and security staff.

Bobby Stewart, a juvenile counselor and former national Golden Gloves champion, noticed the teenager’s raw gifts. Stewart struck a strict bargain: if Tyson raised his reading levels and controlled his volcanic temper, Stewart would teach him how to box inside the reformatory's makeshift ring. Tyson absorbed fundamentals rapidly. Within months, Stewart realized the boy's ceiling exceeded his own coaching capabilities. In 1979, Stewart dialed an old boxing veteran living in Catskill, New York: Cus D'Amato.