There are names that even people who are not involved in sports are familiar with. Mike Tyson belongs to such athletes. It is unlikely that there is anyone in the world who does not know this guy. Tyson became one of the most respected boxers in the world. He fought in the heavyweight division and was included in the Guinness World Records for the fastest knockouts and for being the youngest heavyweight champion. He had a thorny path to worldwide fame. Read more at i-brooklyn.
Difficult childhood
Michael Gerard Tyson was born in 1966 in Brownsville, Brooklyn. He had a difficult life from childhood. His mother, Lorna Smith, was a prostitute. She provided her services at home, so the boy was aware of all the intricacies of her “work” from an early age. His biological father, Purcell Tyson, was from Jamaica. Mike never saw his father because he left his mother while she was pregnant. After that, she started dating her pimp, Jimmy Kirkpatrick, but he also left her before the boy was born. Mike considered him his father until he was 38. In childhood and youth, he was not bothered by the fact that his father was a pimp. Kirkpatrick was a “respected” man in the neighborhood. Being his son was advantageous for Tyson’s reputation because Mike could not stand up for himself as a child. He was often bullied by others and even by his older brother, Rodney. Kirkpatrick never raised him, and it was he who led his mother into prostitution.
Reaching the age of 10, Mike, thanks to the streets, became tougher. One of the members of the local gang killed his favorite pigeon in front of the boy. In response, Michael brutally beat the boy. From that moment on, he started living a “street life.” His gang friends taught him to steal and rob stores. This led him to detention centers. One day, Muhammad Ali visited such a place and after talking to him, Mike started thinking about boxing.
At the age of 12, he was sent to a special school for juvenile delinquents called Tryon. There, he delved into sports and improved his education, all thanks to Bobby Stewart, a former boxer. At 13, he was already lifting a 100-kilogram barbell. When Tyson began outperforming his coach, he introduced him to Cus D’Amato. Mike realized this was his chance and gave it his all. This marked the beginning of his boxing career.
Boxing lessons
When D’Amato took Tyson under his wing, he provided him with everything he needed, including trainers, agents and assistants. Tyson’s training program included not only strength exercises and gym workouts but also watching old fight recordings and analyzing them. He learned from the victories and mistakes of other boxers. This shaped both his “boxing signature” and his style. Tyson stepped into the ring without any music or a robe, just wearing black shorts, gloves and bare feet.
Tyson’s mother passed away in 1982. D’Amato and his wife adopted the boy. His foster mother, Camilla Ewald (Evashchuk), was originally from the Ternopil region, Ukraine. He had a great relationship with his adoptive parents. They lived in Catskill. However, it took him a while to get used to D’Amato. The school had strict rules, but D’Amato allowed him everything. As a result, he almost fell back into old habits. But boxing won. Tyson read all possible literature on the subject.
His career, which started successfully, took a hit in 1988. In 1987, Tyson was arrested on charges of assault. The case was closed after compensating the victims with $105,000.
After that, he fired his entire team. This decision had a negative impact on his boxing career. But Tyson used this time for his personal life. He did not finish school because of his criminal life. However, in 1989, he received a Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio.
In 1990, Tyson began abusing alcohol, which led to his defeat in the fight against Douglas. The bets for Douglas’ victory were 42 to 1. It is considered the worst fight in boxing history. But in Tyson’s opinion, it was the best fight of his career because he learned an important lesson from it. After that, he quit alcohol and resumed training.
In 1992, Tyson was accused of raping Desiree Washington. In 1998, Tyson himself sued former promoter Don King. He demanded compensation of 100 million dollars, but the parties settled for 14 million.
The beginning of a great journey
Tyson debuted in 1981 under the nickname “Iron Mike.” In the first year of his career, Tyson had six fights. In 1982, Mike competed in the Junior Olympic Games. His quick and brutal victories over opponents cemented his reputation as a strong and fierce competitor. He knocked out Joe Cortez a few seconds after the start of the bout.
He lost for the first time in 1983 to Al “Chico” Evans. Despite this, he participated in the Golden Gloves tournament and won a silver medal. In 1984, he did not lose a single fight. He was expected to win at the 1984 Olympic Games. At first, the qualifiers went well, but Henry Tillman became his stumbling block. Although Tyson was stronger than Tillman and proved it during the fight, Tillman won with a score of 3:2. The audience was disappointed with the outcome.
Tyson faced Tillman again in the preliminary rounds and lost for the second time. Spectators began to think that there was a biased attitude towards him from the judges. Tyson’s aggressive style was not appropriate for the Olympic Games. In 1990, Tyson flawlessly knocked out Tillman in the ring.
Boxing seriously
Tyson entered the professional ring for the first time in 1985. In 1986, Tyson fought Michael Jameson. He knocked him out in the 4th and 5th rounds. Jameson was the first opponent to last so long against Tyson. Fans believe that this happened because their last fight was just 13 days ago, and the athlete did not have time to rest. That same year, Tyson fought Ferguson. It was a difficult bout for both athletes. The judges ended the fight by disqualifying Ferguson. This negatively affected the boxer’s statistics, so the New York Athletic Commission changed the result of the fight. Tyson was credited with a technical knockout.
All subsequent fights in Tyson’s career were spectacular and victorious. The fight against Mitch Green was one of the most remarkable. Great results and their background were things that they had in common. Green grew up in Brownsville and was a member of a rival gang to Tyson. Tyson won by unanimous decision of the judges. Later, it was compared to his fight with Tillman. Green did not try to defeat Tyson; he just tried to endure. After this bout, he took a break for 7 years. Many speculated that Tyson wore himself out, as the fights with Tillman and Green lasted too long. But in 1986, he denied these rumors.
Personal life
Mike Tyson’s first wife was actress Robin Givens. They lived together for only a year. His second wife was pediatrician Monica Turner. Lakiha Spicer became his last wife, whom he married in 2009. Tyson has seven children from two of his wives. The boxer’s daughter, Exodus, died in a tragic accident in 2009. She suffocated after getting caught up in the cords of a treadmill. This was deemed an unfortunate accident, but no one explained why the child was left unattended.
Mike’s older brother, with whom he had a bad relationship in childhood, became a doctor in the trauma department at the University of Southern California Medical Center.
Tyson turned to Islam in his adult life. In various interviews, he stated that he had not heard or received anything good from Christians. He is also a vegan.