By the summer of 1988, both Mike Tyson and Mitch “Blood” Green were New York legends — two street-hardened fighters who carried pride from their boroughs like armor. But one night outside Dapper Dan’s Boutique in Harlem, that pride boiled over.
Most stories over the years claimed the fight started over money. But the truth — from those who were actually there — tells a different story. It wasn’t about cash. It was about respect and taunting.
Mitch Green, never one to back down from anyone, saw Tyson that night and couldn’t resist getting under his skin. Words were exchanged, voices rose, and the tension between two alpha fighters exploded in seconds.
Witnesses remember Green laughing, calling Tyson out in front of the crowd, pushing his buttons with that trademark Bronx bravado. Tyson snapped. The two traded punches right there on the Harlem sidewalk — no gloves, no ring, no referee.
The fight didn’t last long, but it was brutal. Tyson landed a heavy shot that closed Green’s eye, but “Blood” stayed on his feet, still talking, still taunting, even as police and onlookers rushed in.
That night became one of the most talked-about street fights in sports history — not because of what was lost, but because of what it represented: two warriors, two egos, one unforgettable Harlem moment.