Mike Tyson

At 58 years old, Mike Tyson has this physical status:

Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005.

He reigned as the undisputed world heavyweight champion, and holds the record for the youngest boxer to win a heavyweight championship at 20 years, four months, and 22 days old.

Tyson defeated 19 professional fights by knockout, 12 of whom were in the first round.

After beating James Smith and Tony Tucker in 1987, he won the WBC championship in 1986 after beating Trevor Berbick in the second round and earning the WBA and IBF titles.

Tyson was the first heavyweight boxer to hold the WBA, WBC, and IBF championships simultaneously, and the first heavyweight to unify them. Tyson defeated Michael Spinks in 91 seconds of the first round in 1988, becoming the lineal champion.

He defended his titles nine times, including victories over Larry Holmes and Frank Bruno.

Early life

On June 30, 1966, Michael Gerard Tyson was born in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, New York City. Rodney, his older brother (born 1961) and Denise, his older sister, who died of a heart attack at the age of 24 in February 1990. Tyson's mother, who was born in Charlottesville, Virginia, was described as a promiscuous woman who may have been a prostitute. Tyson's biological father is listed as "Purcell Tyson," a "humble cab driver" on his birth certificate, but the man Tyson did not know that his father was a pimp named Jimmy Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick was born in Grier Town, North Carolina (a predominantly black neighborhood that had been annexed by Charlotte's city) where he was one of the area's top baseball players. Kirkpatrick married and had a son, Tyson's half-brother Jimmie Lee Kirkpatrick, who would help with the integration of Charlotte high school football in 1965. Jimmy Kirkpatrick and his family left Brooklyn in 1959 and moved to Brooklyn, where he met Lorna Mae (Smith) Tyson. Kirkpatrick frequented pool halls, gambled, and hung out on the streets. Tyson said, "My father was just a regular street guy caught up in the street world." Around the time Mike was born, Kirkpatrick abandoned the Tyson family, leaving Tyson's mother to care for the children on her own. Kirkpatrick died in 1992.

When Tyson was ten years old, the family lived in Bedford-Stuyvesant until their financial obligations necessitated a change to Brownsville. Tyson's mother died six years ago, leaving 16-year-old Tyson in the custody of boxing boss and trainer Cus D'Amato, who would be his legal guardian. Tyson later said, "I never saw my mother smiling with me or proud of me for doing something: she only knew me as a wild child running the streets, and she was happy to see me wearing new clothes she didn't pay for." I've never had the opportunity to speak with her or know about her. It has no effect on work, but emotionally and physically, it's devastating."

Tyson lived in and around communities with a high crime rate throughout his childhood. In a talk with Details, he was his first battle was with a larger youth who had pulled the head off one of Tyson's pigeons. Tyson has been caught on numerous occasions defaming his high-pitched voice and lisp. He had been arrested 38 times before he was 13 years old. He attended the Tryon School for Boys in Johnstown, New York. Bobby Stewart, a youth detention center advisor and former boxer, discovered Tyson's growing boxing ability. Before introducing Tyson to Cus D'Amato, Stewart considered him to be an excellent soldier and trained him for a few months. As a junior, Tyson was kicked out of high school. In 1989, he would be awarded an honorary Doctorate in Humanities Letters from Central State University. Kevin Rooney coached Tyson and was occasionally supported by Teddy Atlas, but Atlas was dismissed by D'Amato when Tyson was 15 years old. Rooney took over all training duties for the young fighter later in life.

Life after boxing

"My entire life has been a waste, I've been a failure," Tyson said in an interview with USA Today on June 3, 2005. "I just want to get out." I'm really worried about myself and my life. I want to be a missionary. I believe I could do that while still retaining my dignity while still letting people know they chased me out of the country. As soon as possible, I want to get this part of my life back to normalcy. Nothing good is going to come out of me in this world. People pushed me so high; I wanted to tear that image down.' In Paradise Valley, an expensive enclave near Phoenix, Arizona, Tyson spent much of his time tending to his 350 pigeons.

Tyson has remained in the limelight by promoting various websites and businesses. Tyson had declined endorsements in the past, accusing other celebrities of staging a false front in order to obtain them. Tyson has held entertainment boxing shows at a Las Vegas casino and began a series of exhibition bouts to pay off his numerous debts.

Tyson was arrested in Scottsdale, Arizona, on suspicion of DUI and unlawful drug use; he nearly crashed into a police vehicle right after leaving a nightclub. "[Tyson] confessed to using [drugs] today and said he has a problem," a police probable cause statement filed in Maricopa County Superior Court says." Tyson pleaded not guilty in Maricopa County Superior Court on January 22, 2007, to criminal drug possession and paraphernalia possession charges, as well as two misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence of opioids. As awaiting a court hearing on the drug charges, he checked himself into an inpatient rehabilitation program for "various addictions" on February 8.

Tyson pled guilty to cocaine possession and driving under the influence on September 24, 2007. He was found guilty of these charges in November 2007 and sentenced to 24 hours in prison. Since being released, he was sentenced to three years of probation and a complete 360 hours of community service. Prosecutors had requested a year in prison, but the judge praised Tyson for seeking his assistance with his heroin use. Tyson was arrested after being involved in a fight at Los Angeles International Airport with a photographer on November 11, 2009. No charges were made.

Tyson has appeared in film and television, most notably as a fictionalized version of himself in the 2009 film The Hangover.

Tyson held an interview in September 2011 in which he made remarks about former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, which included crude and vehement descriptions of interracial sex. These remarks were reprinted on The Daily Caller website. Greta van Susteren, a journalist, chastised Tyson and The Daily Caller for their remarks, which she characterized as "smut" and "violence against women."

Tyson co-produced with film director Spike Lee and brought the performance to Broadway in August 2012. On a 36-city, three-month national tour, Tyson displayed Undisputed Truth in February 2013. Tyson discusses his personal and professional lives on stage. On November 16, 2013, the one-man show on HBO premiered.

Tyson founded the Mike Tyson Cares Foundation in October 2012. The Mike Tyson Cares Foundation's goal is to "give children a fighting chance" by operating innovative centers that cater for children's basic needs.

Tyson joined Acquitnity Sports in August 2013 to create Iron Mike Productions, a boxing promotions firm.

Tyson appeared on Fox Sports 1's six-episode television series titled Being: Mike Tyson in September 2013.

Tyson's Undisputed Truth, which appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list in November 2013, was released in November 2013. Tyson was rewarded with the SPORTEL Special Prize for the highest autobiography at the Golden Podium Awards Ceremony.

Tyson's second book, Iron Ambition, delves into his time with trainer and surrogate father Cus D'Amato in May 2017.

Tyson competed in the international mixed martial arts (MMA) tournament in Chelyabinsk in February 2018. "I have traveled all around Russia and have discovered that the people are extremely sensitive and generous." Tyson said. However, the majority of Americans have no expertise with it.

Tyson posted a video of him training on Instagram on May 12, 2020. Tyson hinted at a return to boxing by saying, "I'm back."

Tyson, who appeared with Cody and Jake Roberts at All Elite Wrestling's Double or Nothing, helped Cody beat Lance Archer and gave him the inaugural AEW TNT Championship on May 23, 2020. On the May 27 episode of AEW Dynamite, Tyson, Henry Cejudo, Rashad Evans, and Vitor Belfort met against Chris Jericho and his stable The Inner Circle. On the April 7, 2021 episode of Dynamite, Tyson returned to AEW and saved Jericho from being attacked by The Pinnacle, beating Shawn Spears in the process. On the upcoming Inner Circle versus Pinnacle match at Blood and Guts, he was the special guest enforcer on Dynamite's episode between Jericho and Dax Harwood of The Pinnacle.

Tyson made an extended cameo appearance in the Telugu-Hindi film Liger, which was released on August 25, 2022.

Personal life

Tyson lives in Seven Hills, Nevada. He has married three times and has seven children, one of whom is deceased, with three women; in addition to his biological children, Tyson also has his second oldest daughter, who is referred to as one of his own.

Robin Givens' first marriage was from February 7, 1988, to February 14, 1989. Givens was known at the time for her appearance on the sitcom Head of the Class. Tyson's marriage to Givens was particularly turbulent, with reports of assault, spousal assault, and mental instability on Tyson's part.

Tyson and Givens' joint interview with Barbara Walters on ABC television newsmagazine show 20/20 in September 1988, which Givens described life with Tyson as "torture, pure hell, worse than anything I could possibly imagine." On national television, Tyson said "manic depressive" – a word that doctors later confirmed – was also confirmed by doctors, while Tyson continued with a calm demeanor. Givens revealed that she was seeking a divorce from the allegedly abusive Tyson a month later.

"That was the best punch I've ever thrown in my entire life," Tyson said in the book Fire and Fear: Mike Tyson's Inside Story. Tyson wrote that the book was "stuffed with inaccuracies." They had no children, but Tyson denied having a miscarriage and that she only used this to attract him to marry her. The couple lived in Bernardsville, New Jersey, during their marriage.

Tyson's second marriage was to Monica Turner from April 19, 1997 to January 14, 2003. Turner served as a pediatric resident at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and was the sister of Michael Steele, the former Governor of Maryland and former Republican National Committee chairman at the time of the divorce filing. Turner filed for divorce from Tyson in January 2002, claiming that he committed adultery during their five-year marriage, an offence that has "never been forgiven nor condoned." Amir and Ramsey, the husband's son, are non-binary, and they had two children.

Tyson's four-year-old daughter Exodus was discovered unconscious and tangled in a cord, dangling from an exercise treadmill on May 25, 2009. Sol Xochitl, the child's mother, pulled her untangled, administering CPR and calling for medical attention. Tyson, who was in Las Vegas at the time of the shooting, travelled to Phoenix to be with her. On May 26, 2009, she died as a result of her injuries.

Tyson Wed, his third child's death, married longtime friend Lakiha "Kiki" Spicer, age 32, in a short, private ceremony at the Las Vegas Hilton on Saturday, June 6, 2009. They have two children; daughter Milan and son Morocco.

Tyson appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in March 2011 to discuss his latest Animal Planet reality series Taking on Tyson. Tyson talked with DeGeneres about how he's changed his life in the last two years, including sober living and a vegan diet. However, in August 2013, he confessed openly that he had lied about his sobriety and was on the verge of death from alcoholism.

"The more I look at churches and mosques, the more I see the devil," Tyson wrote in November 2013. Tyson also said in a Fox News interview in December 2013, that he is grateful to be a Muslim and that Allah aids him in his life. Tyson talked about his sobriety and how being in a community of good people made him want to be a more compassionate and compassionate person.

[No red meat] at all, no way!

Tyson declared in 2015 that he was in favor of Donald Trump's presidential bid.

Tyson said "tennis changed his life" in 2022, and he praises Novak Djokovic as a "true fighter."

Tyson punched a male passenger who was causing harassment on a JetBlue flight from San Francisco to Florida repeatedly on April 20, 2022; he did not face felony charges.

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Amateur career

Tyson also won gold medals at the 1981 and 1982 Junior Olympic Games, defeating Joe Cortez in 1981 and 1982 over Kelton Brown. In the first round, Brown's side threw in the towel. Tyson captured the gold medal at the Nation Golden Gloves conference in New York in 1984, defeating Jonathan Littles. He defeated Henry Tillman twice as an amateur, losing both bouts by decision. At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Tillman went on to win heavyweight gold.

Professional career

Tyson made his professional debut as an 18-year-old in Albany, New York, on March 6, 1985. He defeated Hector Mercedes in a first-round TKO. In his first year as a professional, he had 15 bouts. Tyson won 26 of his first 28 fights by KO or TKO, out of which 16 of them were in the first round. The quality of his opponents, including James Tillis, David Jaco, Jesse Ferguson, Mitch Green, and Marvis Frazier, have all risen to journeyman fighters and borderline candidates. Tyson was dubbed the next great heavyweight champion after his win streak caught national attention. D'Amato died in November 1985, much before Tyson's professional career, and some believe his death caused many of Tyson's career's challenges.

Jesse Ferguson, a journeyman heavyweight, was defeated by ABC Sports in Tyson's first nationally televised bout on February 16, 1986. In the fifth round, Tyson shocked Ferguson with an uppercut that broke Ferguson's nose. Ferguson began to hold and clinch Tyson in an apparent effort to avoid further punishment during the sixth round. Ferguson was compelled to obey his orders to box several times, but the referee finally brought the contest to a halt in the middle of the sixth round. Tyson was initially disqualified (DQ) of his foe, meaning the match would be declared a win for him. The decision was "adjusted" to a victory by technological knockout (TKO), after Tyson's corner argued that a DQ win would bring an end to Tyson's string of knockout victories, and that a knockout would have been the inevitable result.

On another ABC Sports broadcast in Glens Falls, New York, Tyson defeated former world champion Marvis Frazier in July, after recording six more knockout victories. Tyson won easily, charging Frazier at the first bell and knocking him unconscious thirty seconds into the game.

Tyson was crowned champion of the World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight championship on November 22, 1986. Tyson was crowned by TKO in the second round, and at the age of 20 years and 4 months, he became the youngest heavyweight champion in history. After losing James Smith and Tony Tucker in 1987, he won the WBA and IBF titles. Tyson's best results received acclaim. "The noble and manly art of boxing can at least put an end to anxiety about its immediate future, now [that] it has discovered a heavyweight champion who can stand alongside Dempsey, Tunney, Louis, Marciano, and Ali."

Tyson feared fighters with his physical strength, precision, coordination, and timing, as well as incredible hand speed, accuracy, coordination, and timing. Tyson demonstrated exceptional defensive skills by holding his hands high in the peek-a-boo fashion taught by his mentor Cus D'Amato to slide under and weave around his opponents' punches while timing his own. Tyson's explosive punching technique was due in large part to crouching immediately prior to throwing a hook or an uppercut: this allowed the'spring' of his legs to add punch to the punch. The right hook to his opponent's body was followed by a right uppercut to his opponent's chin, which was one of his signature moves. This combo knocked down Lorenzo Boyd, Jesse Ferguson, and José Ribalta.

Tyson's hopes had been extremely high, and he was expected to win the heavyweight unification tournament, which was a tournament that was intended to crown an undisputed heavyweight champion. In Las Vegas, Nevada, Tyson defended his title against James Smith on March 7, 1987. He gained by unanimous vote and also earned Smith's World Boxing Association (WBA) championship to his existing belt. In the media, "Tyson-mania" was rampant. In the sixth round, he defeated Pinklon Thomas by TKO in May. He took the International Boxing Federation (IBF) title from Tony Tucker on August 1 in a 12-round unanimous decision 119–113, 116–112. He became the first heavyweight to own three major belts – WBA, WBC, and IBF – all at the same time. Tyson defeated 1984 Olympic super heavyweight gold medalist Tyrell Biggs by TKO in the seventh round in what transpires to be another fight in October of that year.

Tyson drew the attention of game company Nintendo during this period. After witnessing one of Tyson's combats, Nintendo of America president Minoru Arakawa was impressed by the fighter's "power and expertise," leading him to suggest that Tyson be included in the upcoming Nintendo Entertainment System port of the Punch Out! The arcade game was a hit on the arcade. In 1987, Nintendo introduced Mike Tyson's Punch-Out! !, which was well-received and sold more than a million copies.

In 1988, Tyson had three fights. He met Larry Holmes on January 22, 1988, defeating him by KO in the fourth round. Holmes's only defeat in 75 professional bouts was this knockout loss. Tyson defeated rival Tony Tubbs in Tokyo, Japan, resulting in a straightforward second-round TKO victory amid promotional and marketing efforts.

Tyson met Michael Spinks on June 27, 1988. Spinks, who had received the heavyweight championship from Larry Holmes through a fifteen-round decision in 1985, had not lost his title in the tournament, but not by the major boxing bodies, who were not crowned champions. Holmes had previously given up only the IBF Championship, and Spinks was eventually stripped from Spinks after he chose to face Gerry Cooney (winning by TKO in the fifth round) rather than IBF Number 1 Contender Tony Tucker, who received more money. Spinks did become the lineal champion by defeating Holmes, but many (including Ring magazine) believed him to have a legitimate claim to be the true heavyweight champion. The fight was, at the time, the richest fight in history, and hopes were high. Boxing pundits were predicting a titanic clash of styles, with Tyson's adamant infighting against Spinks' superb out-boxing and footwork. Tyson knocked Spinks out in the first round after 91 seconds; many believe this to be the pinnacle of Tyson's fame and boxing skills.

Tyson's issues outside the ring were also beginning to emerge during this period. Don King and Bill Cayton were planning his divorce, and Robin Givens' future was being fought over. Tyson parted with boss Bill Cayton and fired longtime trainer Kevin Rooney in late 1988, the man with a lot of credit for honing Tyson's craft after D'Amato's death. Following Rooney's departure, analysts feared that Tyson began to move less frequently and combine punching. Tyson had only two fights in 1989 amid marital turmoil. In February, he met Frank Bruno, a British boxer. Bruno was able to stun Tyson in the first round, but Tyson was able to knock Bruno out of the fifth round. In the first round of July, Tyson defeated Carl "The Truth" Williams.

Tyson seemed to have lost direction by 1990, and his personal life was in disarray, despite warnings of less vigorous preparation leading up to the Buster Douglas match. He lost the undisputed championship to Douglas in Tokyo on February 11, 1990. Tyson was a huge betting favorite; in fact, the Mirage, the only casino to put out bets for the fight, made Tyson a 42/1 favorite. Tyson struggled to find a way past Douglas' quick jab that had a 12-inch (30 cm) advantage over his own. Tyson did finish the eighth round with an uppercut and knocked him to the ground, but Douglas recovered well enough to give Tyson a brutal beating in the subsequent two rounds. The Tyson camp would have argued that the number was inaccurate and that Douglas took longer than ten seconds to get back to his feet after the fight. Douglas unleashed a brutal uppercut and a four-punch combo of hooks that knocked Tyson down for the first time in his career just 35 seconds into the tenth round. Referee Octavio Meyran had him counted out.

Douglas' landslide victory over Tyson, the previously undefeated "baddest man on the planet" and arguably the most feared boxer in modern sports history, has been described as one of the most unexpected upsets in modern sports history.

Despite the humiliating loss, Tyson has said that losing to Douglas was the best moment of his career: "I wanted the fight to make me a better person and fighter." "I have a broader view of myself and boxing."

Tyson recovered from defeat with first-round knockouts of Henry Tillman and Alex Stewart in his next two fights. Tyson's triumph over Tillman, the 1984 Olympic heavyweight gold medalist, enabled him to avenge his amateur losses at Tillman's hands. Both matches place in an elimination match for another shot at the undisputed world heavyweight championship, which Evander Holyfield had defeated Douglas in his first defense of the title.

Donovan "Razor" Ruddock, the number one contender, met Tyson in Las Vegas on March 18, 1991. Ruddock was considered the most feared heavyweight on the planet, and was regarded as one of the most punching heavyweights. For the bulk of the match, Tyson and Ruddock were back and forth until referee Richard Steele controversially suspended the match in favour of Tyson during the seventh round. This decision enraged the fans in attendance, sparking a post-fight confrontation in the audience. The referee had to be led from the ring.

Tyson and Ruddock met again on June 28th this year, with Tyson knocking Ruddock twice and winning a 12-round unanimous decision 113–108, 114–108, and 114–108. Tyson and Holyfield were supposed to meet in Las Vegas on November 8, 1991, but Tyson was forced to withdraw after suffering a rib cartilage injury during preparation.

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