TYSON, MIKE-TREVOR BERBICK VINTAGE SIGNED ON SITE POSTER (1986)

HISTORY: On November 22, 1986 WBC Heavyweight Champion Trevor Berbick defended his title against undefeated challenger "Iron" Mike Tyson. The fight at the Las Vegas Hilton in Las Vegas, Nevada ended quickly as Tyson knocked Berbick out in the second round. he fight was billed as "Judgement Day." This was Berbick's first defense of the WBC Heavyweight Championship. He had outpointed Pinklon Thomas to win the title in Las Vegas on March 22, 1986. Tyson was rated as the No. 1 heavyweight contender by both the WBC and WBA. Berbick claimed to be 32 years old. However, the press kit for the fight said he was 33, and The Ring Record Book listed him as 34. Three days before the fight, after experiencing breathing problems, Berbick visited four doctors before he could get respiratory medication that would be approved by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Two days before the fight, District Court Judge Del Guy granted Thomas A. Prendergast a writ of attachment for $495,124.36 against Berbick's purse, contingent on a hearing tentatively scheduled for the following February. Prendergast, a Texas promoter, claimed Berbick had breached a contract by pulling out of a fight against Tony Perea in 1982. Tyson went into this fight suffering from gonorrhea. In his 2013 autobiography, Undisputed Truth, Tyson stated: "I looked at my underpants a day before the fight and I noticed a discharge. I had the clap. I didn't know if I had contracted it from a prostitute or a filthy young lady." He was given an antibiotic shot by a doctor. "Because of the antibiotic shot, I was dripping like a Good Humor bar in July," Tyson wrote." But I didn't care; I was there to nail Berbick." Berbick opened as a 6-1 underdog, but the odds had dropped to 3-1 by the time of the fight. He had been a 6½-1 underdog when he defeated Pinklon Thomas to win the title. Tyson was unimpressed with Berbick. "There's nothing he has to fight me with," Tyson said. "I'm looking to take him out by the seventh round," Berbick stated. "Trevor's got to try to hurt him early," said Eddie Futch, who trained Berbick for his title-winning effort against Pinklon Thomas. "He's got to make Tyson respect him." Berbick hired Angelo Dundee as his trainer after he and Eddie Futch failed to reach a financial agreement for the Tyson fight. Both boxers wore black trunks. Knowing that Tyson always wore black, Angelo Dundee had Berbick choose black. Tyson, as the challenger, was obliged to select a different color. Instead, he opted for his customary black and was fined $5,000 by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Tyson entered the fight not having boxed in two and a half months, which was his longest layoff at the time. There was a sellout crowd of 8,800. Among the celebrities in attendance were actors Kirk Douglas, Sylvester Stallone, Eddie Murphy, Rob Lowe, and Tony Danza. Boxing dignitaries in the crowd included Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes, Michael Spinks, Archie Moore, Thomas Hearns, and Hector Camacho. Muhammad Ali, who was sent into retirement by Berbick five years earlier, was introduced in the ring before the fight. Afterwards, Ali told Tyson, "Kick his ass for me." "The key in this fight for Tyson is to be patiently aggressive, not to fling himself into clinches as he has done," HBO commentator Larry Merchant said before the opening bell. "The key for Berbick, in my judgement, is to hold him off, smother Tyson and hope for a long fight that wears him out." At the end of the first round, Berbick stuck his tongue out at Tyson as he walked to his corner. Berbick returned to a chaotic corner after the first round. Trainer Angelo Dundee yelled at one of the seconds to put an icepack on Berbick's next and then screamed, "Where's the fucking sponge?" After knocking out Berbick, Tyson kissed co-manager Jim Jacobs on the lips. "Mike Tyson fought as perfect a fight as a man of his type of ability could possibly fight," Larry Merchant said. "There is no praise high enough for Mike Tyson." "I made a silly mistake," Berbick said. "I tried to prove my manhood with him in the early rounds." "My record will last for immortality," Tyson said of becoming the youngest boxer ever to win a portion of the World Heavyweight Championship. "It will never be broken." His record still stands to this day. Offered here is an original on site poster to this event which has been signed by both Mike Tyson and Trevor Berbick in vintage hand. Both signatures were obtained by Tyson's assistant manager Steve Lott and comes with his full letter.

FULL DESCRIPTION: This is an original, heavy paper, on site poster which pictures both fighters. Mounted on poster board. Bold color and print. Bold, clear images. Not creased or torn. Boldly signed in red, "Mike Tyson 11/20/86" and in black, "Trevor Berbick." Clean with no staining. 21 1/4" x 29 1/4." Both signatures come with a letter of authenticity from Tyson's assistant manager Steve Lott. A scarce on site poster and incredibly rare with vintage signatures of both Mike Tyson and Trevor Berbick.