Tyson ya kare sunansa a kan James Smith a ranar 7 ga Maris, 1987, a Las Vegas, Nevada. Tyson ya yi nasara ta hanyar yanke shawara ta gaba daya kuma ya kara da Smith's World Boxing Association (WBA) taken zuwa belinsa na yanzu. "Tyson-mania" a cikin kafofin watsa labaru ya zama mai ban mamaki. Ya doke Pinklon Thomas a watan Mayu ta hanyar TKO a zagaye na shida. A ranar 1 ga Agusta ya ɗauki taken International Boxing Federation (IBF) daga Tony Tucker a cikin zagaye na goma sha biyu na yanke shawara 119111, 118113, da kuma 116112. Ya zama dan wasa mai nauyi na farko da ya mallaki dukkan manyan belts guda uku <unk> WBA, WBC, da IBF a lokacin.
Holmes ya ce