Winning the title from Trevor Berbick

Tyson remains one of the fight game's great enigmas - during his prime in the late 80s, he was thought of as invincible and potentially the greatest heavyweight ever.

But James 'Buster' Douglas removed the cloak of invincibility in 1990 when he knocked Tyson out in ten unforgettable rounds in Tokyo.

It took the New Yorker a matter of just 18 months to rebuild his career and put himself in position for a tilt at the heavyweight championship of the world, by then held by Evander Holyfield.

But Tyson was sent to jail in February 1992 for the rape of young beauty contestant Desiree Washington.

Despite a ten year sentence, Tyson was released on parole in 1995 and made his ring comeback in the month of August that year.

Knocking out Michael Spinks in quick time

The fistic landscape had change significantly by then - Frank Bruno, a former Tyson victim, was the man that Iron Mike would fight for a version of the world title.

The challenger would need just three rounds to completely destroy Bruno and after a one-round stoppage of Bruce Seldon he had set up a fight with Holyfield.

Incredibly, this was the third time the pair were supposed to have met, with injuries and defeats snaring the other two occasions.

But Holyfield, at the age of 34, proved to be Tyson's ultimate nemesis, using a combination of strength, power and skill to halt the fighter in 11 pulsating rounds.

In July 1997, Tyson committed an act which guaranteed him the kind of notoriety he could never have wanted when he began his career.

It came during his rematch with Evander Holyfield. After losing the first two rounds, Tyson sank his teeth into his opponent's ear on two occasions, earning a disqualification.

His actions earned him a year long suspension and have had a long term effect on his abilities.

Battling British challenger Frank Bruno

The current Tyson fights without the legendary intensity of his youth and quite often gets frustrated against lesser men.

He struggled with Francois Botha for five rounds, could not finish off Andrew Golota and has not fought since October 2000.

The demons that have always haunted him - the childhood he lost on the streets of New York, the deaths of key figures in his boxing career and the time he spent in jail - have all seemed to diminish his love of the sport he once dominated.

At the age of 35, he can still regain his old title only because the current crop of fighters is so poor.

With Holyfield a fading force, Lennox Lewis likely to quit within a year and other top heavyweights fading from the picture, Tyson's route to the top could be untroubled.

As long as he stays out of trouble.