Mike Tyson has led a wild life. These 10 big moments defined his career

When picking some of the best moments of Mike Tyson’s career… well, check that, some of them aren’t exactly best moments. Biting someone’s ear is not a good time unless you are a cannibal. But the list of Tyson moments is long because Tyson is one of the most prolific athletes of all time. So let’s call these Tyson’s best/worst moments.

And not just in the ring. He was a star in “The Hangover”. He softened a brutal image with commercials and appearances on late-night talk shows. Few people who have been in the public eye for decades are as powerful, relevant and constantly noticed as Tyson. That’s why his fight against Jake Paul is drawing so much attention.

So it’s not easy to rank some of his greatest moments. Here are 10:

10. Holyfield I, 1996

Evander Holyfield won by TKO in the eleventh round. Why is a Tyson loss one of his best moments? It was one of those examples in boxing that gave the sport a sense of greatness and significance. It was part of a Tyson run that turned him into a cultural force.

9. Brutal knockout of Trevor Berbick, 1986

One of the best examples highlighting Tyson’s power. He used a three-punch combination that staggered Berbick. It’s one of those moments that created both fear of Tyson among boxers and a fascination with him outside the ring.

8. ‘The hangover’, 2009

Severely overrated film. Not that funny. Said what I said. But Tyson was good at it. In many ways, his scenes made the film. The overrated movie. The unfunny movie.

7. Donovan “razor” Ruddock, 1991

Tyson and Ruddock fought twice that year. It was another one of those moments where you saw Tyson’s raw power. In the second fight, Tyson broke Ruddock’s jaw.

6. Interview with Big Mouth, 1999

Tyson did an interview with television journalist Russ Salzberg which shows how different Tyson was then and now. You now see the polished Tyson. But then there was no polish. He can be mean and have no filter. Sometimes Tyson was so close that the light bent around him. This was one of those times.

5. Mike Tyson returns

Tyson retired from boxing in 2005. Why did he come back? I mean, why do you think? It’s a word that rhymes with cash. The battle against Paul will probably be a word that rhymes with waste. Still, Tyson does what he always does: makes us watch him.

4.Tony Tubbs, 1988

Why is this moment important? It wasn’t necessarily one of Tyson’s best known or most important fights. Tubbs wasn’t exactly a big name. The battle took place in Tokyo and the idea was to generate international appeal. Tyson probably didn’t have to do that. He was already one of the biggest stars in the world.

3. Bitten twice, 1997

The second fight between Tyson and Holyfield would become one of the most infamous moments in American sports history. Tyson bit Holyfield’s ear in the third round and was disqualified.

It reminded people of that ugly side of Tyson. It was so shocking that it surprised the boxing world to say anything.

2. Buster Douglas Stuns the World, 1990

It’s hard to put into words how seismic this moment was. Tyson was undefeated and Douglas was a huge underdog. No one, absolutely no one, thought Tyson would lose. It’s not just the biggest upset in boxing history. It’s probably a top-five upset in the history of American sports. Douglas knocked Tyson down in the 10th round and Tyson didn’t beat the count. Douglas credited his mother with winning the fight. It was a beautiful moment.

1. The Creation of the Mike Tyson Myth, 1988

Michael Spinks wasn’t just a great boxer. At the time, he was already considered one of the best in history. He had the same power as Tyson, but was also fast. He was seen not only as Tyson’s equal, but perhaps even better. Numerous boxing journalists and insiders picked Spinks to win. Tyson knocked him out in 91 seconds.

That knockout, more than any other moment, created the myth of Tyson as the most feared fighter of all time. It’s part of the reason why we’ll see him fight Paul decades later.

Follow columnist Mike Freeman on social media @mikefreemanNFL

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mike Tyson top 10: Defining moments from the career of a legendary boxer