He is known by several nicknames. Some called him Tank and the King of knockouts. Others are Iron Mike and Kid Dynamite. And still others are the coolest man on the planet. He went through fire, water and copper pipes. At one time, he took off on a sports Olympus to collapse from it. Now he is like now - calm and happy. His name is Mike Tyson. A brief biography of the champion will be revealed in the article.
Boy with a soft character
Michael Tyson (photo you have the opportunity to see in the article) was born in the summer of 1966 in one of the areas of Brooklyn. He inherited his violent temper from his father. He left the family before the birth of the future champion.
Initially, little Tyson was too soft. He did not know how to fend for himself. Often his peers mocked him, beat him and took away all the money. Only at the age of ten, Mike was able to show his character.
Juvenile delinquent
Once a teenager pulled a pigeon from Tyson's hands. Then he tore off the head of the unfortunate bird. Recall that the future champion was closely involved in the breeding of these birds. By the way, the boxer is still engaged in this hobby. Be that as it may, Tyson could not restrain his resentment and attacked the teenager. As a result, he beat him very badly. After this episode, Mike has never been offended. Peers were already aware of his fits of anger.
A little later, Tyson even joined the ranks of one of Brooklyn's street gangs. His new friends traded ordinary robbery.
After some time, the police became interested in a juvenile delinquent. As a result, the thirteen-year-old Mike was placed in a special school in northern New York.
Once, the great boxer Mohammed Ali arrived at this correctional facility. Tyson attended the event. After which he seriously thought about the career of a boxer.
Champion becoming
Physical education teacher Bobby Stewart worked in a special institution. At one time he was engaged in boxing. It was to him after meeting with Ali that Tyson came. The former boxer agreed to train him. But at the same time, he set one condition: Mike must take up his studies and humble his crazy character. And Tyson really began to change.
After some time, the capable student has already outgrown his mentor. To continue to polish the skills of the young athlete, Stuart sent him to another coach. His name was Cas D'Amato. And when Tysonâs mother was gone, he was able to take custody of him. In fact, he adopted his student and lived in his house.
Indestructible
Mike Tyson's biography contains information that when he was fifteen, he made his debut in the ring. The fight took place in one of the New York clubs. In general, in one year, the boxer spent five victorious fights. It was then that he was nicknamed Tank.
The following year, Tyson once again confirmed his invincibility. So, he won one of the fights in just eight seconds.
In 1984, Mike became a candidate for the American Olympic team. Boxing fans considered him a clear favorite. So, he knocked out the famous Henry Milligan. But Mike didnât get to the Olympic Games. He lost the fight to Henry Tillman. Note that the fans then booed the judges.
Ring star
In the early spring of 1985, Tyson first appeared in the ring as a professional boxer. Mike's first opponent was Hector Mercedes. Tyson won by knockout in the 1st round. In total, in one year he was able to conduct fifteen battles. And all the fights were won ahead of schedule.
In the same victorious year for Mike, misfortune happened. His mentor Cas D'Amato passed away. He was for him both the best coach and almost a father. As a result, he began to train Kevin Rooney.
The next year, another duel took place. Tyson's counterpart has become Mike Jameson. This athlete was the first person who managed to hold out in the ring until the fifth round.
After some time, Mike took part in the first championship match. His opponent was Trevor Berbick, who was already the WBC champion. Be that as it may, in the second round, Tyson was able to snatch victory from him.
But the victory over James Smith went to Tyson is very difficult. But he still managed to attach the 2nd champion belt to the existing collection.
At the end of the summer, he became not only the winner in the match with Tony Tucker, but also the absolute world heavyweight champion. He was in fact invincible and was considered No. 1 in the world boxing ranking.
Champion's fall
In 1988, the boxer decided to fire his coach K. Rooney. At the same time, he was more often seen in pubs and bars, and not in the gym. He skipped training, had fun at parties, and constantly got into fights. The result - arrests, payment of colossal compensation and fights with a dubious outcome. As a result, Tyson lost the match with James Buster Douglas.
But the worst was yet to come. The biography of boxer Mike Tyson contains quite a few scandalous stories. In the middle of the summer of 1991, Tyson attended one of the beauty contests and met one of the participants in the event. Her name was Desiree Washington. She went with him to the hotel, in his room. The next day, she turned to the police, saying that the boxer had raped her.
This lawsuit lasted almost six months. The athlete argued that everything happened solely by mutual desire. But Tyson still ended up behind bars. He was sentenced to 6 years in prison. There he turned to religion and became a Muslim. And in the early spring of 1995, he was prematurely released for good behavior.
Return
In 1995, Tyson returned to the professional ring. He was still the same Iron Mike, but his stamina in the duel was noticeably reduced.
In 1996, Tyson fought with Frank Bruno for the championship belt. In the end, Mike was the winner. A little later, one of the best fights of Mike Tyson took place - between him and Bruce Seldon. The boxer brilliantly won the WBA title. Note that this battle brought him twenty-five million dollars.
And at the end of 1996, Mike defeated Evander Holyfield. A few months later, both boxers met again in the ring. During one of the rounds, Mike bit off a part of his opponentâs ear. After this incident, Tyson was disqualified. But two years later he returned to professional boxing.
Champion Sunset
Unfortunately, since 1998, Tyson took part only in the most rated fights. He continued to win, but his opponents were far from the strongest.
So, in 1999, the battle of Mike Tyson with François Baute took place. Mike was poorly prepared for the fight, clearly underestimating the opponent. In the 1st round, he wanted to break the boxer's hand. After that, the reputation of Iron Mike was greatly shaken.
In 2000, in a duel with Andrzej Golota, Tyson became the winner. However, marijuana was found in his blood. As a result, the panel of judges decided that this fight would not be considered valid.
Thus, Tysonâs career collapsed before our very eyes. To save the situation, Mike fought with eminent athlete Lennox Lewis. The fight took place in 2002 and became the highest grossing in world boxing history. Mike did not even last eight rounds. In the end, Lewis won.
In the summer of 2004, Iron Mike fought Danny Williams and lost the battle. True, during this fight, Tyson was injured. After a while, he was operated on, and for several weeks the athlete was forced to spend in a cast.
The following year, a fight took place with a little-known boxer from Ireland named Kevin McBride. In the fifth round, Tyson's fatigue was already clearly felt. And in the sixth, he generally refused to continue the fight. After this fight, Iron Mike officially announced that he was completing his professional career.
Mike Tyson: biography, personal life
In 1988, Iron Mike led a novice actress named Robin Givens down the aisle . They lived for almost a year. The athlete was not faithful to his wife. But when he found his wife in the arms of Hollywood actor Brad Pitt, he filed for divorce. During this period, Mike was on the verge of a real nervous breakdown. He even had a serious accident, crashed into a tree by car. There is a version that in this way the athlete wanted to take his own life.
For a long time, Tyson generally avoided a serious relationship. The situation returned to normal when he did get married. Monica Turner, who worked as a pediatrician, became his chosen one. This marriage lasted several years. The couple had children - daughter Raina and son Amir. However, in 2003, Monica filed for divorce. She motivated her decision by cheating on her husband. Actually, that was actually so. A year before the break, Iron Mike's lover gave birth to a boy, Miguel Leon. After the divorce, Tyson already openly lived with her. Two years later, she gave him the daughter Exodus. When the girl was four years old, her mother died.
In 2009, he married Lacia Spacer. It was she who became a true and true friend in the most difficult period of Tyson's life. This marriage brought the boxer long-awaited peace and joy. Two more children grow up in a happy family.
In addition, Tyson has two illegitimate children.
Recent story
A former boxer named Tyson has long been leading an exceptionally healthy lifestyle. He goes to the gym to keep fit. He goes to bed at eight in the evening, and wakes up at two in the morning. He brings up his children and is actively involved in charity work. In addition, he began to compose music and was even able to create an appropriate team. He does not think about returning to big sport.
He also continues to practice pigeons. He currently has almost two thousand birds.
In addition, Tyson starred in the movie. One of Mikeâs most notable works as an actor is his role in the film, entitled âThe Hangoverâ. And in 2008, the Tyson documentary came out on the screens. She tells about the life and career of this extraordinary athlete. The biography of Mike Tyson in the documentary was shown so well that the picture immediately gained many fans and received a number of prestigious awards.
In 2013, Tyson took up the pen. His autobiography is called Ruthless Truth. In the book, the biography of Mike Tyson is described in detail. The titled athlete honestly talks about his criminal youth, about problems with drugs and personal life.
In addition, Mike sometimes organizes his show. This peculiar monologue performance is dedicated to the championâs difficult life. The audience eagerly attends these concerts. After all, Tyson is the most famous boxer. Its popularity is second only to the great Mohammed Ali.
Interesting Facts
- Iron Mike is a strict guardian of vegetarianism. He mainly eats celery stalks and spinach leaves. Thanks to such a diet, he lost almost fifty kilograms.
- In deep childhood, Mike was nicknamed the magic boy.
- In a special institution, teachers called him mentally retarded. However, he even has a corresponding certificate. His diagnosis is manic-depressive psychosis.
- The titled champion has Jewish roots. He even intended to accept Judaism.
- Tyson admitted that he really wants to participate in dance musicals. In addition, one of his cherished dreams is to play the hero of Shakespeare Othello.