Michael Gerard Tyson (genus. One of the greatest and recognizable boxers in history. Absolute world champion in the heavyweight category among professionals (1987-1990). World champion according to versions "WBC", "WBA", "IBF", "The Ring".
At the 49th annual WBC convention, Tyson was inducted into the Guinness Book of Records, having awarded him 2 certificates: for the largest number of fastest knockouts and for becoming the youngest world heavyweight champion.
There are many interesting facts in the biography of Mike Tyson, which we will tell about in this article.
So, here is a short biography of Mike Tyson.
Biography of Mike Tyson
Michael Tyson was born on June 30, 1966 in the Brownsville area of New York. His parents were Lorna Smith and Jimmy Kirkpatrick.
It is curious that the future boxer inherited his last name from his mother's first wife, since his father left the family even before Mike was born.
Childhood and youth
In early childhood, Mike was distinguished by vulnerability and spine. Therefore, many of his peers, as well as his older brother, often bullied him.
However, at that time, the boy could not yet defend himself, as a result of which he had to endure humiliation and humiliation from the guys.
Tyson's only "friends" were pigeons, which he bred and spent a lot of time with. An interesting fact is that his passion for pigeons has survived to this day.
For the first time in his life, Mike showed aggression after a local bully tore off the head of one of his birds. It is worth noting that this happened right in front of the child's eyes.
Tyson was so furious that at the same second he attacked the bully with his fists. He beat him so severely that he then forced everyone to treat themselves with respect.
After this incident, Mike no longer allowed himself to be humiliated. At the age of 10, he joined a local robbery gang.
This led to the fact that Tyson was often arrested and eventually sent to a reformatory school for minors. It was here that a turning point occurred in his biography.
Once the great boxer Mohammed Ali came to this institution, with whom Mike was lucky to talk. Ali made such a great impression on him that the teenager also wanted to become a boxer.
When Tyson was 13 years old, he was assigned to a special school for juvenile offenders. At that time in his biography, he was distinguished by a particular imbalance and strength. At such a young age, he managed to squeeze a 100-kilogram barbell.
In this institution, Mike became closely acquainted with physical education teacher Bobby Stewart, who was a former boxer. He asked Stewart to teach him how to box.
The teacher agreed to comply with his request if Tyson stops breaking discipline and starts to study well.
The teenager was arranged such conditions, after which his behavior and study improved significantly. Tyson soon reached such a high level in boxing that Bobby sent him to a coach named Cus D'Amato.
An interesting fact is that when Mike's mother dies, Cas D'Amato will issue guardianship over him and take him to live in his house.
Boxing
Mike Tyson's sports biography began at the age of 15. In amateur boxing, he won victories in almost all fights.
In 1982, the boxer competed in the Junior Olympic Games. Curiously, Mike knocked out his first opponent in just 8 seconds. However, all other fights also ended in the initial rounds.
And although Tyson periodically lost some fights, he showed excellent form and beautiful boxing.
Even then, the athlete managed to instill fear on his opponents, exerting powerful psychological pressure on them. He had a very strong punch and stamina.
During the fight, Mike used the pick-a-boo style, which allows him to successfully box even with long-armed opponents.
Soon, the 18-year-old boxer was on the list of contenders for a place on the US Olympic team. Tyson did his best to show a high level and get to the competition.
The guy continued to win in the ring, and as a result was able to win the Golden Gloves in the heavyweight division. To get to the Olympics, Mike had to defeat only Henry Tillman, but he was defeated in a duel with him.
Tyson's coach supported his ward and began to seriously prepare him for a professional career.
In 1985, the 19-year-old boxer had his first fight at the professional level. He faced Hector Mercedes, defeating him in the first round.
That year, Mike fought 14 more fights, beating all opponents by knockouts.
It is interesting that the athlete entered the ring without music, barefoot and always in black shorts. He claimed that in this form he felt like a gladiator.
At the end of 1985, in the biography of Mike Tyson, there was a misfortune - his trainer Cus D'Amato died of pneumonia. For the guy, the death of the mentor was a real blow.
After that, Kevin Rooney became Tyson's new coach. He continued to win confident victories, knocking out almost all of his opponents.
In the fall of 1986, Mike's career saw the first championship fight against WBC World Champion Trevor Berbick. As a result, the young athlete only needed 2 rounds to knock out Berbik.
After that, Tyson became the owner of the second championship belt, defeating James Smith. A few months later, he met with the undefeated Tony Tucker.
Mike defeated Tucker to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
At that moment, the boxer's biographies began to be called "Iron Mike". He was at the zenith of fame, in fantastic shape.
In 1988, Tyson fired the entire coaching staff, including Kevin Rooney. He began to be noticed more and more often in drinking establishments while intoxicated.
As a result, after a couple of years, the athlete lost to James Douglas. It is worth noting that after this fight he had to go to the hospital.
In 1995 Mike returned to big boxing. As before, he managed to defeat his opponents quite easily. At the same time, experts noticed that he was already much less hardy.
In subsequent years, Tyson was stronger than Frank Bruno and Bruce Seldon. As a result, he managed to become a three-time world champion. By the way, the fight with Seldon brought him $ 25 million.
In 1996, the legendary duel between Iron Mike and Evander Holyfield took place. Tyson was considered the clear favorite of the meeting. However, he was unable to withstand a series of punches in the 11th round, as a result of which Holyfield became the winner of the meeting.
A few months later, a rematch took place, where Mike Tyson was also considered the favorite. At that time, this fight was recognized as the most expensive in the history of boxing. An interesting fact is that all 16,000 tickets were sold out in one day.
The fighters began to show activity from the very first rounds. Holyfield has repeatedly violated the rules, inflicting "accidental" blows to the head. When he again hit his head on the back of Mike's head, he bit off part of his ear in a fit of anger.
In response, Evander stabbed Tyson with his forehead. After that, a scuffle began. Ultimately, Mike was disqualified and allowed to box only at the end of 1998.
After that, the boxer's sports career began to decline. He rarely trained and only agreed to participate in costly fights.
Tyson continued to win, choosing weak boxers as his opponents.
In 2000, "Iron Mike" met with the Pole Andrzej Golota, knocking him down in the first round. After the second round, Golota refused to continue the fight, literally escaping from the ring.
It is worth noting that it soon became clear that traces of marijuana were present in Tyson's blood, as a result of which the fight was invalidated.
In 2002, a meeting was organized between Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis. She became the most expensive in the history of boxing, grossing over $ 106 million.
Tyson was in bad shape, which is why he rarely managed to carry out successful strikes. In the fifth round, he almost did not defend himself, and in the eighth he was knocked down. As a result, Lewis won a landslide victory.
In 2005, Mike entered the ring against the little-known Kevin McBride. To the surprise of everyone, already in the middle of the fight, Tyson looked passive and tired.
At the end of the 6th round, the champion sat down on the floor, saying that he would not continue the meeting. After this defeat, Tyson announced his retirement from boxing.
Movies and books
Over the years of his biography, Mike starred in more than fifty films and TV shows. In addition, more than one documentary tape was filmed about him, telling about his life.
Not so long ago, Tyson took part in the filming of the sports comedy "Downhole Revenge". It is worth noting that his partners were Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro.
In 2017, Mike played a general in the action movie "China Seller". Steven Seagal also played in this tape.
Tyson is the author of two books - Iron Ambition and Merciless Truth. In the last work, various interesting facts from his biography are mentioned.
Personal life
Mike Tyson was married three times. In 1988, model and actress Robin Givens became his first wife. The couple lived together for only 1 year, after which they decided to leave.
In 1991, the boxer was accused of raping a young girl, Desira Washington. The court sent Tyson to jail for 6 years, but he was released early for good behavior.
An interesting fact is that Mike converted to Islam in prison.
In 1997, the athlete remarried with pediatrician Monica Turner. Young people have lived together for 6 years. In this union, they had a girl, Raina, and a boy, Amir.
The initiator of the divorce was Monica, who did not want to endure her husband's betrayal. This is true, since in 2002 the boxer's lover gave birth to his boy, Miguel Leon.
After breaking up with Turner, Tyson began to cohabit with his mistress, who later gave birth to his girl Exodus. It is worth noting that the child tragically died at the age of 4, entangled in the cable from the treadmill.
In the summer of 2009, Mike married for the third time to Lakia Spicer. Soon the couple had a boy. In addition to the official children, the champion has two illegitimate children.
Mike Tyson today
Today, Mike Tyson appears frequently on television and also advertises for various brands.
In 2018, the man starred in the film Kickboxer Returns, where he got the role of Briggs.
Tyson is currently developing the Iron Energydrink energy drink business.
The boxer is vegan. According to him, by eating only plant foods, he manages to feel much better. By the way, in the period 2007-2010, his weight was over 150 kg, but after becoming a vegan, he was able to lose more than 40 kg.
Photo by Mike Tyson
