Popularly known as The Baddest Man on the Planet, Michael Gerard Tyson is an American former professional boxer. Tyson was born on June 30, 1966, in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, New York City. Tyson was born to Lorna Mae Tyson and Purcell Tyson. However, growing up his father figure was a pimp named Jimmy Kirkpatrick. He has two siblings, an older brother Rodney, and an older sister Denise, who died of a heart attack at age 24. Tyson began his amateur career at the 1981 and 1982 Junior Olympic Games winning gold medals. He made his professional debut at the age of 18 on March 6, 1985, in Albany, New York. Tyson won the fight against Hector Mercedes via first-round TKO. He won 26 of his first 28 fights by KO or TKO, with 16 of those coming in the first round.
Tyson is regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time having reigned as the undisputed world heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990. In 1992, Tyson was convicted of rape and sentenced to six years in prison, however, he was released after three years on parole. Tyson has been married three times and has seven children. His first marriage was with American actress Robin Givens who divorced in 1989. In 1997 he got married to his second wife Monica Turner they got divorced in 2003. Six years after his second divorce he got married to Lakiha Spicer. Here are a few things to know about one of the most famous boxers of all time.
Mike Tyson Was Arrested Over 30 Times Before The Age Of 15
Throughout his childhood, Tyson lived in and around neighbourhoods with a high rate of crime. By the age of 13, he had been arrested 38 times. In a podcast, Tyson stated that he was arrested 40 times before the age of 12 while growing up in Brooklyn. Some of his crimes included burglaries, pick-pocketing, and snatching jewellery.
He Loves Pigeons
Everyone has a soft spot for something or someone. For Tyson, it’s Pigeons. In his Animal Planet reality series, Tyson said “The first thing I ever loved in my life was a pigeon. I don’t know why… I feel ridiculous trying to explain it”. One of his earliest fights at the age of 11 was with a bully who had pulled the head off one of his pigeons. As a boy, he once spent $100 to buy a flock that he kept on his roof. At a time Tyson had about 350 pigeons in Paradise Valley, an upscale enclave near Phoenix, Arizona.
Mike Tyson Holds The Record For Youngest Heavyweight Champion
Tyson holds the record as the youngest boxer ever to win a heavyweight title having claimed his first belt at 20 years and 4 months. On November 22, 1986, he claimed his first title fight against Trevor Berbick for the World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight championship. Tyson won the title in the second round by TKO.
He Was Once Disqualified For Biting An Opponent’s Ears
On November 9, 1996, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Tyson faced Evander Holyfield for the WBA. Holyfield, who many believed had no chance to win, defeated Tyson by TKO when the referee stopped the bout in round eleven. The following year on June 28m Tyson and Holyfield had a rematch which was titled The Sound and the Fury. During the third round, Tyson bit Holyfield’s ear. The bite was so severe that it took off a piece of Holyfield’s right ear. The match was stopped temporarily and the referee deducted two points from Tyson. However, the fight resumed and Tyson bit him for the second time and was disqualified leading to Holyfield’s victory.
Mike Tyson Has Worked On A Song With Madonna
It may come as a surprise to many but the once boxing heavyweight champion of the world has done some singing. In March 2015, Tyson appeared on the track Iconic on Madonna’s album Rebel Heart. Tyson says some lines at the beginning of the song.
Tyson Had Tigers As Pets
At the peak of his career, Tyson was making a lot of money. He had a lot of luxury cars and at the time asked his car dealer what else a person could trade cars for, and the dealer mentioned several animals. Tyson decided he wanted to get a tiger and eventually got three. He got the three Bengal tigers when they were babies, however, they grew up fast and got bigger, so he donated two of the cats to a local sanctuary. He kept one of the tigers, named Kenya, for 16 years. Kenya appeared in the film The Hangover alongside Tyson. He had to give Kenya up when she attacked a trespasser.
Follow Us
