Fight City has done an article highlighting Tyler Christopher from Bermuda bad boy to a rising star in Birmingham written by Mike Lockley.
BOXING – and Birmingham – saved the life of Mike Tyler, a man who, in his own words, was bad news in Bermuda, reborn through the fight game.
“I was a proper piece of s*** back in the day,” the unbeaten light-middleweight drawled when I caught up with him during a Christmas spent on the sun-drenched islands of his birth.
“Gangs, violence, drugs, breaking into houses. I spent time on remand, but I never received a custodial sentence. Boxing kept me out of jail, boxing saved my life.
“If it wasn’t for boxing, we wouldn’t be speaking now. I’d be in jail or dead. That’s my back story.”
Tyler, a top amateur and Olympic hopeful in Bermuda, moved to Birmingham five years ago in search of fistic fame and fortune.
Under trainer Anthony Hull, the driving force behind Stirchley’s bustling D&A gym, the 28-year-old has peeled off nine straight wins, is punching with increased power and within touching distance of titles.
He has talent and goes for win number 10 on promoter Scott Murray’s Excelsior Sporting Club show, in Cannock, on March 6. After that, manager Jon Pegg said, the hunt for belts begins.
Yet Tyler remains an unknown commodity away from the Birmingham boxing circuit. The wider fight audience have still to discover a man who is, in street speak, a very cool dude, oozes self-belief and has a southpaw style as smooth as Bermuda’s signature molasses.
Confusion over his ring identity hasn’t helped the Bermudian’s branding. He began his professional career as Tyler Christopher – and boxing data base BoxRec still ranks him under that name – but is now billed as Mike Tyler.
And he merely trod water in 2024, taking part in only one fight – a routine four round win over journeyman Serge Ambomo.
The time has come to test Tyler, to take off the shackles and see what he’s like in the trenches. It is time to step up to the plate.
“As far as my boxing, I’m not too pleased,” he admitted, “but it’s no one’s fault. I’m at the stage where I’m past journeymen and need to be put in the right fights. I’m past the apprenticeship stage, I need 50-50 fights.
“I haven’t travelled six rounds yet. I want six rounds then start banging on the door for big names. Since coming here in 2019, I’ve transformed into a complete fighter.
“I truly believe I’m British level, I truly believe I can mix it up with those guys. I feel my skills are as good as anyone in there (the top rankings), I just need the experience. Talent wise, I feel I can make it up there.
“I want to get on TV, they are going to love me on TV. But I don’t want to force anything because when you force things, that’s when things go wrong.”
Tyler may make frequent trips back to Bermuda, but he has no intention of joining the small band of pro boxers based there.
“I love Birmingham,” he added. “I love Birmingham boxing. Yes, I might like to have a fight in Bermuda, but my team’s in England.”
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