Lettering onlyPremium cotton3 colourwaysS to 4XL
The essentials: 1984 is the year Tyson did not go to the Olympics. Beaten twice in a month by Henry Tillman at the US trials, he stayed home while his opponent took gold in Los Angeles. He turned professional six months later. This tee carries MIKE TYSON BOXING 1984, with no portrait. Premium cotton 180 gsm, crew neck, heat transfer print. 3 colourways, 7 sizes S to 4XL, €29, free shipping.
Every date printed on a boxing tee celebrates a win. This one marks a failure — which is what makes it worth wearing.
1984, the Games he did not make
Tyson is seventeen and running through the amateur circuit. A place at the Los Angeles Games looks reachable. In his division stands Henry Tillman: 1.91 m / 6 ft 3 in, six years older.
They meet twice in a month. First at the Olympic trials in Fort Worth, Texas: Tillman takes a unanimous decision. Then at the box-offs in Las Vegas: same script, same result. Tyson is out.
Tillman goes to Los Angeles and wins the heavyweight gold medal. Tyson turns professional on 6 March 1985 and puts his first opponent down inside a round.
The rest is known: world champion twenty months later, at twenty.
The 1990 rematch
The story has an ending. On 16 June 1990, four months after the upset against Buster Douglas, Tyson meets Henry Tillman again — this time as professionals.
He knocks him out in the first round.
What it looks like on
Typography only, centred high on the chest, over three lines: MIKE TYSON in large, slightly arched capitals, BOXING beneath, then 1984.
The lettering is a solid fill, with no outline and no texture: white on the black, black on the white and the heather grey. It is gym-shirt code, without effects.
No portrait, no logo: with the Brooklyn tee, it is the plainest model in the Tyson family.
Premium cotton, crew neck, short sleeves, straight cut. Plain back.
Your size
European cut — take your usual size, with no adjustment. Seven sizes per colourway, S to 4XL, all at the same price. Chest runs from about 96 cm / 38 in on a S to 132 cm / 52 in on a 4XL.
Technical specification
Technical specifications
Also worth a look
Frequently asked questions
Did Mike Tyson box at the Olympics?
No. He failed to make the US team for Los Angeles 1984, beaten twice in a month by Henry Tillman — first at the Olympic trials in Fort Worth, then at the box-offs in Las Vegas. He did win the Junior Olympics in 1981 and 1982.
Who is Henry Tillman?
The American boxer who took Tyson's place in the 1984 Olympic team and went on to win the heavyweight gold medal in Los Angeles. He stood 1.91 m / 6 ft 3 in and was six years older than Tyson.
Did Tyson get his revenge on Tillman?
Yes, six years later. On 16 June 1990, four months after the upset loss to Buster Douglas, Tyson met Tillman as a professional and knocked him out in the first round.
When did Mike Tyson turn professional?
On 6 March 1985 in Albany, at eighteen, against Hector Mercedes — stopped inside one round. Twenty months later he was heavyweight champion of the world.
Which colourways are available?
Three: black, white and heather grey. The lettering flips with the ground — white on the black, black on the two light shades. Seven sizes per colourway, S to 4XL.
Which size should I take?
Standard European cut: take your usual size. Chest runs from about 96 cm / 38 in on a S to 132 cm / 52 in on a 4XL.
