L-R-John Morrison, Mike Tyson, Zyon Duprey
By Dan Murphy
Boxing fans across the country are starting to take notice of Yonkers’ own Zyon “Baby Tyson” Duprey. And that includes Mike Tyson, who watched Zyon win his boxing tournament on July 25 in Las Vegas. And he is only 16 years old.
Zyon trains at the Yonkers Knockouts on South Broadway in Yonkers. His trainer-mentor is John Morrison. Morrison runs Yonkers Knockouts with the gym located at 29 South Broadway (https://yonkersknockouts.com/).
We reported on Zyon two years ago, when he broke onto our scene as a 14-year-old. That year, 2024, Zyon won the Championship Belt-Gold Medal in the USA Boxing National Junior Olympics. That put him on the map across the country, as the #1 at 176 pounds.
Now Zyon fights as a heavyweight. He stands 5 feet, 10 ½ inches and now weighs 205 pounds.
Perhaps the biggest fight of Zyon’s career was on July 25, when he fought in the Mike Tyson invitational at the Sahara in Las Vegas. Zyon first met Mike Tyson in 2024, when Mike told him to “never give up.”
His opponent, Christopher Merced, weighed 245, outweighing Zyon by 40 pounds. With Mike Tyson watching and commenting, Zyon fought like Mike, with a quickness and speed that overmatched Merced, a national champ in his own right and the #2 ranked HW.
Watch the fight on YouTube. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llQdrVrCb5U). It’s 4 hours and 28 minutes in. Here’s my take; email us your take, and I will post and print.
Round 1-Both feeling each other out. Zyon was quicker and more active, as he was in the entire fight.—10-9 Zyon
Round 2-Dominating round for Zyon—very active, quick, landing punches left and right and starting to show some confidence. Merced looks overmatched and too slow.
Zyon shows a swagger in this round, dancing around, protecting himself like Tyson used to do, the peek-a-boo. He’s calling Merced to come to him and fight. Zyon was too quick and landed some good punches. 10-9 Zyon.
Round 3-Zyon-came out like a wrecking ball, throwing a flurry of punches, some of which landed. Merced landed some punches at the end of the round, but Zyon was dancing around at the end, holding his hands down and taunting his opponent. In the boxing world, cockiness helps you win fights.
Winner: Zyon, unanimously.
One of the commentators after the fight said that Zyon tried to clinch too many times. He needs to learn to let the fight go. We agree, but as Morrison says about Zyon, “the sky is the limit.”
Morrison posted,
To everyone back home who believed in us, prayed for us, called, texted, and cheered us on, this victory belongs to you too. Your support has meant more than you’ll ever know.
Zyon’s story is exactly why we do what we do.
He’s living proof that when you change the message, you can change the mindset. There was a time when he never imagined his childhood dream would become reality. But dreams do come true when they’re backed by hard work, discipline, faith, and people who refuse to stop believing in you. People always say it takes a village to raise a child. I believe that. But at Yonkers Knockouts and Brother 2 Brother 914, we’ve discovered something even greater.
It takes family. That’s what we are. We celebrate together. We struggle together. We push each other. We hold each other accountable. And when one of us wins, we all win. This isn’t just a victory for Zyon. This is a victory for every young person who walks through our doors wondering if they’re good enough. We hope this shows them that no dream is too big when you have the right people standing beside you,” wrote Morrison.
Before Zyon left for Vegas, he met Mayor Mike Spano and members of the City Council.
“Congratulations to Yonkers’ own Zyon “Baby Tyson” Duprey on another impressive victory! Fresh off becoming the 2026 Golden Gloves National Champion, Zyon earned a unanimous decision victory last night at the Mike Tyson Invitational in Las Vegas, continuing an incredible run on the national stage.
“Every time Zyon steps into the ring, he represents Yonkers with determination, discipline and heart. Congratulations to Zyon, his family, coaches and everyone who has supported him along the way. Good luck, Zyon. Yonkers is proud to be in your corner,” said Mayor Spano.
Zyon went around the City Council Chambers and met with councilmembers and their staff before he left. Council President Lakisha Collins-Bellamy and her husband went to Las Vegas to support and surprise Zyon.
Before he left for Vegas, Zyon accepted Jesus Christ as his personal savior and was baptized at Messiah Baptist Church.
We watched a YouTube video of Zyon and Morrison in Vegas, which we will use for Part 2. It tells us a lot about how Zyon got here.
And here’s the thing: Zyon has a good chance to go to the 2028 Olympics. And who knows? The sky’s the limit.
And he is a Yonkers young man, born and bred. It’s time to get on board, Yonkers.
And consider getting involved or helping Yonkers Knockouts. They have a lot of events and live fights. We will be highlighting them more in the months ahead.