And The 1995 Winner Is … Tyson Ex-Champ’s Comeback Tops International Poll

If 1995 was the year of the comeback, Mike Tyson’s was the biggest.

The former heavyweight champion’s release from jail and return to the ring was voted the top international sports story of 1995 in a worldwide Associated Press survey.

The Tyson story was an overwhelming winner, with Spanish cyclist Miguel Indurain’s fifth straight Tour de France victory and Steffi Graf’s on-court triumphs and off-court troubles finishing 2-3.

AP subscribers in more than 20 countries in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Oceania, Africa and South America participated in the poll.

While Monica Seles, Michael Jordan and Diego Maradona all made high-profile returns in 1995, Tyson grabbed the most headlines.

Tyson, who was released from jail in March after serving three years on a rape conviction, took 89 seconds to knock out Peter McNeeley in his first comeback fight Aug. 19, then stopped Buster Mathis Jr. in the third round Dec. 16.

Tyson got 146 points, with Indurain a distant second with 111 points and Graf third with 100..

The return of Graf’s main rival, Seles, two years after being stabbed on court in Germany, was fourth with 94 points.

Jordan’s decision to rejoin the NBA’s Chicago Bulls after an unsuccessful stint in minor league baseball finished fifth with 88 points. Jordan’s surprise retirement from basketball was voted the No. 1 story in the AP poll two years ago.

Cal Ripken’s relentless pursuit of Lou Gehrig’s record of playing in 2,130 consecutive games was voted the top sports story of the year by sports editors, broadcasters and writers in the United States.

The death of Mickey Mantle was second and Jordan’s return to pro basketball finished third. The Tyson comeback story wound up No. 14.