Mike Tyson Net Worth: How Much The Star Boxer Has Made

From the mid-80s to mid-90s there wasn’t a more dominant force in all of sports than heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson. For over a decade he was one of the most feared men in boxing – and earned that fear through some of the most devastating knockouts you’ve ever seen.

His dominance in the ring at a young age led to dominance at the ticket gate as he rose in the ranks. At his peak, Tyson was making $30 million per fight, among the highest purse ever for a fighter.

But as his wealth and fame grew, his poor decision-making became magnified. He became abusive to his wife Robin Givens, who divorced him in 1989, and soon spiraled out of control.

Tyson’s career was put on hold in 1992 following a conviction for rape. But upon his release in 1995, he quickly reclaimed his status as the king of the mountain.

Even as he declined as a fighter, he still continued to rake in the big bucks. Were it not for some terrible financial decisions in his youth, misplaced trust in friends and managers, and many other terrible choices, Tyson would probably be one of the wealthiest former athletes in the world today.

(Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

How did Mike Tyson rise to prominence?

Michael Gerard Tyson was born in 1966 and raised in a very tough Brooklyn neighborhood. By age 13 he had been arrested dozens of times. But he channeled his penchant for fighting in the streets into fighting as a boxer, and by the early-80s, he was a rising star in the amateur circuit, winning won gold at the 1981 and 1982 Junior Olympics.

Tyson was ready to go pro in 1985 and at the age of 18 made his debut with a first-round TKO win over Hector Mercedes. That win was the first of 37 – nearly all knockouts and nearly all ending in the first couple of rounds – as Tyson became a force to be reckoned with in the boxing world.

He won his first world championship in 1986, defeating Trevor Berbick to win the WBC heavyweight title, and making an estimated $1.5 million in the process. That $1.5 million would be a pittance compared to what Tyson would be making within a few years.

Tyson beat Berbick to win his first title, followed that up by beating James Smith for the WBA title, then beat Tony Tucker for the IBF title – all in the span of nine months.

When did Mike Tyson start raking in the big bucks?

After winning his first three belts, Tyson started seeing his purse double in size on a regular basis.

Mike Tyson’s first super fight came at the legendary Tokyo Dome in 1988, when he defended his three belts against Tony Tubbs. Tyson easily won that fight with a second-round TKO, pocketing a crisp $10 million ($21 million today) in the process.

Less than 100 days later, Tyson would earn another $20 million ($42 million today) when he knocked out Michael Spinks in 91 seconds of the first round, becoming the lineal heavyweight champion in the process.

How high was Mike Tyson’s net worth at his peak?

It is estimated that Mike Tyson earned over $400 million as a prize fighter throughout his storied career.

Tyson had 11 fights where he earned at least $10 million. Five of those fights were worth at least $25 million. But all of his fights starting with the Berbick win netted him at least seven figures each.

What did Tyson spend all of his money on?

Mike Tyson didn’t exactly manage his money well – if he managed it at all.

You name it, Tyson bought it – or at the very least could afford it.

Tyson was notorious for buying luxury items for friends, his entourage and even complete strangers. Mansions, cars, jewelry and Bengal tigers were all on his shopping list while he was in prison.

The tigers are one of his most notable purchases, as we know from his epic cameo in The Hangover and this legendary clip from The Joe Rogan Experience:

It certainly didn’t help that Tyson’s manager Don King took a very large chunk of his earnings from nearly all of his fights. But that still left Tyson with more money than he knew what to do with.

When Tyson got out of prison in 1995, he went on a spending spree.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Tyson spent over $4 million on cars alone. He bought 19 cars just for friends, and would sometimes buy entire dealerships just to flex on strangers.

Then there were the mansions. He bought properties in Las Vegas, Ohio and Maryland, spending millions on the annual upkeep.

But his bills absolutely devoured his bottom line. He was spending over a half-million per month keeping up his opulent lifestyle. Jewelry and expensive parties were one thing, but a quarter-million on phone bills and pagers were bound to catch up to him.

Tyson declared bankruptcy in 2002, and was millions of dollars in debt by the mid-2000s.

Doesn’t he get royalties for the Punch Out franchise?

While the 1987 Nintendo NES hit Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out bears his name, Tyson only made $50,000 for giving it his likeness. The game went on to sell millions of copies, boosted in no small way by Tyson’s popularity.

Nintendo definitely got the better end of that deal.

What’s the net worth of Mike Tyson now?

$3 million. His role in the animated TV show Mike Tyson Mysteries from 2014 to 2019 probably helped with that figure.

What is Mike Tyson up to these days?

Tyson is currently preparing for his return to boxing, and will take on former champion Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition match later this year (pandemic permitting).

But while Tyson was set to get a pretty sizable payday to fight, he plans on donating his purse to charity.

(Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Mike Tyson’s rise and fall is unique from many other stories in sports and entertainment. He was undone far more by his decision-making and choices in people he kept around him than by any physical decline.

Today Mike Tyson is a cultural icon – but still considered by most to be “The Baddest Man on the Planet.”

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