Photograph with the beltPremium cottonBlackS to 4XL
The essentials: a photograph of Tyson in the peek-a-boo guard, the green WBC belt around his waist — the one he took at twenty in 1986. It is the only Tyson tee in the catalogue that shows the title being worn. IRON MIKE in red, TYSON in large vertical capitals. Premium cotton 180 gsm, crew neck, heat transfer print. Black, 7 sizes S to 4XL, €29, free shipping.
The guard is high, the fists are against the face, the torso is turned slightly. That is the peek-a-boo — exactly what Cus D'Amato taught him.
The guard that explains the career
Tyson stood 1.78 m / 5 ft 10 in. For a heavyweight that is short: opponents regularly had ten to fifteen centimetres, four to six inches, on him, with the reach that goes with it.
The peek-a-boo answers that problem: hands against the cheeks, elbows tight, upper body moving side to side without pause. The fighter comes forward slipping with the torso instead of backing off, gets into close range, and works the body before going upstairs.
It is what made Tyson so hard to hit at that size, and it explains the numbers: 50 wins, 44 of them inside the distance, a knockout rate of 88 per cent.
What it looks like on
The artwork fills the height of the chest, in two blocks side by side.
On the left, the colour photograph: Tyson bare chested, black-gloved fists raised in front of his face, teeth clenched, black shorts with an American crest. Around his waist, the WBC belt — green ground, gold trim and centrepiece, instantly identifiable.
On the right, the lettering: IRON MIKE in small red capitals over two lines, then TYSON in very large sand-coloured capitals set vertically, read top to bottom down the full height of the artwork.
The background of the photograph melts into the black of the fabric: it is the green belt the eye catches first.
Premium cotton, crew neck, short sleeves, straight cut. Plain back.
Your size
European cut — take your usual size, with no adjustment. Seven sizes, 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
- World Champ 86 — weathered cream and red lettering, if you want the same year, without a photograph.
- Kid Dynamite — crest, line-drawn gloves, faded fabric, if you want the years before the title, in 1982.
- Brooklyn — collegiate lettering, stars, if you want his city, without a portrait — 2 colourways.
- The belt in the artwork, for real: our championship belts and the WBC tee.
- To train the guard and the slips: our focus mitts and our reflex balls.
- The other heavyweight legends: Muhammad Ali and Evander Holyfield.
- The full boxing t-shirt collection.
Frequently asked questions
What is Mike Tyson's peek-a-boo guard?
A guard with hands against the cheeks, elbows tight and the upper body moving side to side without pause, taught by Cus D'Amato. It lets a fighter get into close range by slipping with the torso rather than backing off, then work the body before going upstairs.
How tall was Mike Tyson?
1.78 m / 5 ft 10 in — short for a heavyweight. Opponents often had ten to fifteen centimetres, four to six inches, on him. That is exactly what the peek-a-boo was built to answer.
What is Mike Tyson's record?
50 wins, 44 of them inside the distance, against 7 losses and 2 no contests — a knockout rate of 88 per cent, among the highest in heavyweight history.
Why the nickname Iron Mike?
It came from his punching power and durability at the start of his professional career. As a teenager he was called Kid Dynamite; from the title onwards the press settled on The Baddest Man on the Planet.
Does it come in big sizes?
Yes, up to 4XL: S, M, L, XL, XXL, XXXL and 4XL, all at the same price. Most boxing tees on the market stop at XXL.
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.
