Mike Tyson Got 'Black Eye' During Sparring Session, Former Champ Says

A former world champion recalled giving Mike Tyson a black eye after an intense sparring session back in the '80s.

Gifted with incredible strength and KO power, Tyson became the youngest heavyweight world champion in 1986. The prime “Iron Mike” was dismantling opponent after opponent and in 1987, he faced Tyrell Biggs. Just like most of his opponents back then, the then 21-year-old Tyson won the title fight via TKO. However, the sparring session in preparation for the fight was worth taking a look at.

Former boxing champ Glenn McCrory was called up to have a sparring session with Tyson at the time. And in a recent episode of his "Boxing Life Stories" podcast (via TalkSport), McCrory recalled his unforgettable and one and only sparring session with “The Baddest Man on the Planet.”

According to McCrory, Tyson was “speechless” when he turned up to be his sparring partner at Trump Plaza. Both of them were in their prime form, and McCrory recalled a polite Tyson, who was very welcoming and hospitable when he arrived. However, Tyson did not bring his calm and friendly personality inside the ring.

“He was lethal and knocking people out every day. I never even got the pleasure of knowing their names before they were booted out,” McCroy said of Tyson.

The 6-foot-4 cruiserweight emphasized that he had a great time being part of Tyson’s training camp. However, McCrory also revealed that it was tough exchanging punches with a prime Tyson.

“I did okay, though, and you can see it on YouTube. The key was ‘never let him get set, which is what a puncher has to do, so I hit him and moved away, which Tyrell Biggs had done in their amateur encounter,” McCrory recalled.

McCrory’s efforts did not go unnoticed. In fact, he even made the headlines for giving Tyson a “black eye” after the intense spar. It also opened up doors in McCrory’s career.

“The best publicity I got was a double page in the New York post. My jab had given Tyson a black eye so he had to take a couple of days off. That got me noticed by [promoter] Cedric Kushner and sparring with Tyson gave me the confidence in my ability because I’d lost faith in myself,” McCrory revealed.

Two years after being picked to be Tyson’s sparring partner , McCrory won the IBF world title in 1989 by beating Patrick Lumumba.