But could he have been so much more? Mike Tyson was born in 1966, in Brooklyn. At the peak of his boxing powers he dispatched his opponents in brutal and convincing style. I still remember watching him defeat Trevor Berbick, watching from home as a child. Berbick didn't stand a chance, and as he failed to get up, Mike Tyson was crowned the youngest heavyweight champion in history.

Unfortunately Mike's boxing career was deeply affected by personal issues and incidents that led him to periods spent in prison. He never managed to reach previous heights after his time spent incarcerated but the anticipation of the enigma returning to form remained for a long time. I believe that it was only clearly all over for Mike in terms of reagaining any dominance, when he failed to defeat Lennox Lewis. He gave Mike Tyson a beating that he would never have taken in his early career. In 2003 Mike Tyson declared himself bankrupt. In the same year he was also named number 16 out of the top 100 punchers in boxing history. Despite a few relatively quick wins in his late career, he lost to Danny Williams in round 4, having got knocked out by his opponent. It later became clear that this shock result was a result of a hampered Mike Tyson having torn a ligament in an earlier round.

In June 2005 Mike Tyson announced his retirement, having lost 3 of his last 4 fights. He has now registered as a referee for mixed martial arts bouts and keeps his face in the public eye by promoting various companies and websites.

One can only imagine what Mike Tyson could have achieved without the personal problems, without the incarceration and more dedication to his sport.

Muhammed Ali may have been the greatest, but Tyson was certainly the most destructive heavyweight of modern times.