Personal check, 8.25 x 3, filled out in another hand and signed by Mike Tyson, payable to Aaron Snowell for $40,000, June 23, 1990, with memo field noting the payment as "Training fee—less advance, $10,000.00, Tyson/Tillman." In fine condition. An extremely rare format, this is the first Tyson-signed check we have offered.
In late 1988, Tyson parted ways with manager Bill Cayton and fired longtime trainer Kevin Rooney, replacing the latter with the inexperienced Aaron Snowell. With his personal life in disarray and his mental state in question, Tyson's typically intense training regimen became suspect and in February 1990 he was knocked out by Buster Douglas in one of boxing's greatest upsets. Tyson recovered and set forth on a road to redemption; in his highly anticipated follow-up bout, he knocked out Henry Tillman at 2:47 of the first round. Tyson's victory over Tillman, the 1984 Olympic heavyweight gold medalist, enabled Tyson to avenge his two amateur losses at Tillman's hands. Encapsulated in a PSA/DNA authentication holder.
