Mike Tyson Signed Photo – “Celebration”

Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. He reigned as the undisputed world heavyweight champion and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win a heavyweight title at 20 years, four months and 22 days old. Tyson won his first 19 professional fights by knockout or stoppage, 12 of them in the first round. He won the WBC title in 1986 after stopping Trevor Berbick in the second round, and added the WBA and IBF titles after defeating James Smith and Tony Tucker in 1987. This made Tyson the first heavyweight boxer to simultaneously hold the WBA, WBC and IBF titles, and the only heavyweight to successively unify them.

Tyson became the lineal champion in 1988 when he knocked out Michael Spinks in 91 seconds of the first round. He successfully defended his titles nine times, which included victories over Larry Holmes and Frank Bruno. In 1990, Tyson lost the titles to underdog Buster Douglas, who knocked him out in the tenth round. Attempting to regain the titles, Tyson defeated Donovan Ruddock twice in 1991, but pulled out of a fight with then-undisputed heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield (who had defeated Douglas later in 1990) due to a rib injury.

In 1992, Tyson was convicted of rape and sentenced to six years in prison, but was released on parole after serving three years. After his release in 1995, he engaged in a series of comeback fights. He won the WBC and WBA titles in 1996, after stopping Frank Bruno and Bruce Seldon. With his defeat of Bruno, Tyson joined Floyd Patterson, Muhammad Ali, Tim Witherspoon, Evander Holyfield, and George Foreman as the only men in boxing history to have regained a heavyweight championship after having lost it. After being stripped of the WBC title in the same year, Tyson lost the WBA title to Evander Holyfield by an eleventh round stoppage. Their 1997 rematch ended when Tyson was disqualified for biting Holyfield’s ears.

In 2002, Tyson fought for the world heavyweight title again at the age of 35, losing by knockout to Lennox Lewis. Tyson retired from professional boxing in 2006, after being knocked out in consecutive matches against Danny Williams and Kevin McBride. Tyson declared bankruptcy in 2003, despite having received over $30 million for several of his fights and $300 million during his career. At the time the media reported that he had approximately $23 million of debt.

Tyson was well known for his ferocious and intimidating boxing style as well as his controversial behavior inside and outside the ring. Nicknamed “Iron”[8] and “Kid Dynamite” in his early career, and later known as “The Baddest Man on the Planet,” Tyson is considered one of the best heavyweights of all time. Tyson holds the third longest unified championship reign in heavyweight history at eight consecutive defenses. He currently ranks #15 in BoxRec’s ranking of the greatest heavyweight boxers in history. He was ranked No. 16 on The Ring’s list of 100 greatest punchers of all time, and No. 1 in the ESPN.com list of “The Hardest Hitters in Heavyweight History.” Sky Sports described him as “perhaps the most ferocious fighter to step into a professional ring.” He has been inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

We know how important it is to our customers to know that the memorabilia they are buying is 100% authentic. We fully understand this & take the authenticity of our items very seriously. Autograph It Now has been involved with the trading & selling of sports, Film, TV & Historical memorabilia since 2006, in these 10 years we have built up trusting relationships with a select few suppliers who conduct private signing sessions, as well as conducting our own private signing sessions with some of the biggest names in sport. We provide Certificate of Authenticities with all of our items, these include a signing photo from the session (where possible), our Office address, AFTAL dealer number & Product Code. An example of one of our certificates can be seen below: We have also been a member of the Autograph Fair Trade Association (AFTAL Dealer #017) for the last 10 years, who’s sole purpose is to stamp out the fakes & phonies of the industry & direct customers to legitimate traders of authentic memorabilia. A direct quote from the AFTAL website reads: "Inclusion in AFTAL is proof of each dealer’s commitment and professional competence. The Code of Conduct commits each AFTAL approved dealer to providing authentic items, with all the required knowledge, qualification and diligence that that may demand, and is the best possible proof any collector could have when looking to buy authentic signed memorabilia."

Unframed Items – £5.95 Delivery Unframed items are sent out via Royal Mail 1st Class Recorded delivery. We aim to send all unframed items out within 1-2 days of the order being placed. 16 x 12″ photographs & prints are dispatched in sturdy & hard cased tubes & shirts are sent out in well packaged & protected jiffy bags. Framed Items – £5.95 Delivery Our framed items are dispatched using a courier service due to their size, weight and value. All items sent via courier will require a signature and cannot be left in a safe place or with neighbours. Additional delivery charges may apply for areas not in mainland United Kingdom. Please allow up to 10 working days for delivery of framed items, a large majority are framed to order, items that are pre framed will be dispatched within 1-2 days of the order being placed.

Do you sell items with Certificate of Authenticity’s?
Yes, everyone of our items is supplied with a Certificate of Authenticity which includes a signing photo, authenticity hologram, product code/name as well as our office details and company director’s details.

What does being a “AFTAL approved Dealer” mean?
The “Autograph Fair Trade Association” ( AFTAL ) was formed by a group of acknowledged autograph dealers, with the intention of stamping out the market in fake items and ensuring that the customer is able to find dealers that they can trust. Inclusion in AFTAL is proof of each dealer’s commitment and professional competence. The Code of Conduct commits each AFTAL approved dealer to providing authentic items, with all the required knowledge, qualification and diligence that that may demand, and is the best possible proof any collector could have when looking to buy authentic signed memorabilia. Simply put, there is no reason as to why any honest dealer should not become an AFTAL approved dealer, but many reasons why some could never become an AFTAL approved dealer.

How long will it take for my item to be delivered?
Depending on the size of the item delivery of the item can take between 3 days (Prints/Photos/Unframed Shirts) and up to 10 working days for larger/ heavier items (Framed Shirts/Prints/ gloves).

I have a question about an item I want to purchase/have purchased, who can I contact?
We are happy to help with any questions you may have about any of our items. please feel free to e-mail info@autographitnow.co.uk or call us on 01273 311431.

I am looking to sell a piece of sports memorabilia I have, are you interested in buying it?
No. We do not purchase memorabilia off the general public, we only sell items we know are 100% authentic & we acquire these from a select number of suppliers that we have worked with for over 10 years

Do you provide valuations?
No, we do not offer valuations of any kind on any item