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In November 1986, at twenty, Mike Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history. A few years earlier he had been a boy from Brownsville, Brooklyn, in a reform school in upstate New York, where he was introduced to the trainer Cus D’Amato, who took him into his home. Tyson has told that story, and everything after it, in two books written with Larry “Ratso” Sloman: the memoir Undisputed Truth (2013) and Iron Ambition (2017), about D’Amato. This guide covers his 2 key books, in order, and where to begin.
By Lisanne Swart · 2 key books · 2013–2017 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Mike Tyson has written two books, both with Larry Sloman: Undisputed Truth (2013), his full memoir, and Iron Ambition: My Life with Cus D’Amato (2017). Start with Undisputed Truth; Iron Ambition goes deeper into the years with the trainer who made him.
Where to Start with Mike Tyson
If you want his whole life
→ Undisputed Truth (2013) — from Brownsville to the title, prison and recovery.
If you want the story of his trainer
→ Iron Ambition (2017) — Cus D’Amato and the making of a champion.
2 Mike Tyson Books, in Order
Undisputed Truth
Written with Larry Sloman, his full memoir runs from a childhood of street crime in Brownsville, Brooklyn, through the years with Cus D’Amato, the heavyweight title in 1986, the loss to Buster Douglas in 1990, his 1992 rape conviction and prison sentence, which he maintains was unjust, and the 1997 fight with Evander Holyfield, on to his bankruptcy and the death of his young daughter Exodus in 2009. Published by Blue Rider Press in November 2013, it appeared on the New York Times bestseller list. It shares its title with his one-man stage show, directed by Spike Lee, which played on Broadway in 2012.
Iron Ambition
Also written with Larry Sloman and published by Blue Rider Press in May 2017, a book about the trainer Cus D’Amato, who had managed Floyd Patterson and José Torres and who took Tyson in as a teenager and became his legal guardian after his mother died. It sets out D’Amato’s techniques for building a champion, his fight against the mobsters who controlled boxing, and the life lessons he passed on, up to his death in 1985, a year before Tyson won the title.
In What Order to Read Mike Tyson
Read them in publication order. Undisputed Truth tells the whole story; Iron Ambition zooms in on the most important relationship in it and assumes you know the outline of his life.
If you only want one, read Undisputed Truth. If you are interested mainly in boxing and training rather than his life outside the ring, Iron Ambition is the more focused book.
Reading order
1. Undisputed Truth (2013)
2. Iron Ambition (2017)
The years · 1966–2017
Quick facts about Mike Tyson
- Known for
- Becoming the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history in 1986, a career and life marked by both triumph and scandal, and two memoirs written with Larry Sloman
- 1966
- Born in Brooklyn, New York
- 1985
- Cus D’Amato dies
- 1992
- Convicted; released in 1995
- 2013
- Undisputed Truth
- 2017
- Iron Ambition
- Born
- 30 June 1966, Brooklyn, New York; grew up in Brownsville
- Trainer
- Cus D’Amato, who became his guardian
- Champion
- WBC heavyweight title in November 1986, aged 20, the youngest ever
- Stage
- Undisputed Truth, a one-man show directed by Spike Lee, Broadway, 2012
- Co-writer
- Larry “Ratso” Sloman, on both books
- Books
- Two: Undisputed Truth (2013) and Iron Ambition (2017)
The red mark is 2013: Undisputed Truth, his full memoir.
How Mike Tyson Writes: His Own Voice, on the Record
Both books are written with the writer Larry Sloman, and both are told in the first person, in Tyson’s own voice.
Undisputed Truth is long and chronological, and it does not leave out the episodes that made him notorious, though it gives his version of them, including his denial of the 1992 rape charge.
Iron Ambition is narrower: a portrait of one teacher, his methods for building a champion and the lessons Tyson took from him.
Watch
Mike Tyson on Undisputed Truth
Mike Tyson talks to CNN in 2013 about Undisputed Truth.
Frequently asked questions about Mike Tyson’s books
How many books has Mike Tyson written?
Two: Undisputed Truth (2013) and Iron Ambition: My Life with Cus D’Amato (2017).
What are Mike Tyson’s books in order?
Undisputed Truth (2013), then Iron Ambition (2017).
Where should I start with Mike Tyson?
With Undisputed Truth, his full memoir. Iron Ambition is best read afterwards.
What is Mike Tyson’s most famous book?
Undisputed Truth (2013), which appeared on the New York Times bestseller list and shares its title with his one-man stage show of 2012.
Did Mike Tyson write his books himself?
He wrote both with the journalist Larry “Ratso” Sloman, who is credited as co-author on the covers.
Who was Cus D’Amato?
The boxing trainer, earlier the manager of Floyd Patterson and José Torres, who took Tyson in as a teenager and became his legal guardian. He died in 1985, a year before Tyson won the heavyweight title. Iron Ambition is about him.
Was Undisputed Truth a stage show?
Yes. Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth, a one-man show directed by Spike Lee, played on Broadway in 2012 and was filmed for HBO. The book came out the following year.
What does Mike Tyson say about his rape conviction?
In 1992 he was convicted of raping Desiree Washington in Indiana and was released in 1995 after serving less than three years in prison. He has always maintained that he is innocent, and Undisputed Truth gives his account.
Is Undisputed Truth worth reading if you’re not a boxing fan?
Much of the book is about his childhood, money, family and fame rather than fights, so readers do not need to follow boxing to follow it.
Footnotes
- Mike Tyson — Wikipedia
- Iron Ambition — Penguin Random House
- Iron Ambition — Publishers Weekly
- Undisputed Truth — Publishers Weekly
- Spike Lee to Direct Mike Tyson on Broadway — ABC News, 2012
- Undisputed Truth will be filmed for HBO — Playbill
Bibliography last verified 9 October 2026. Where sources give different first-publication years, this page uses the year in library catalogues or the publisher’s own record.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
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