During this period, Tyson’s problems outside the ring were also beginning to emerge. His marriage to Robin Givens was heading for divorce, and his future contract was being fought over by Don King and Bill Cayton. In late 1988, Tyson parted with manager Bill Cayton and fired longtime trainer Kevin Rooney, the man many credit for honing Tyson’s craft after the death of D’Amato. Following Rooney’s departure, critics alleged that Tyson began to show less head movement and combination punching.
In 2003, the boxer filed for bankruptcy after his exorbitant spending, multiple trials, and bad investments caught up with him. To curb expenses, the boxer also sold his upscale mansion in Farmington, Connecticut, to rapper 50 Cent for a little more than $4 million. He crashed on friends’ couches and slept in shelters until he landed in Phoenix, where he bought a home in 2005.
In this engaging episode of ‘Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson,’ wrestling legend Ric Flair, known as “The Nature Boy,” sits down with Mike to share his extraordinary journey in the world of professional wrestling. Flair, a WWE Hall of Famer, opens up about his illustrious career, personal struggles, and the resilience that has defined his life both inside and outside the ring.
A member of various street gangs at an early age, Tyson was sent to reform school in upstate New York in 1978. At the reform school, social worker and boxing aficionado Bobby Stewart recognized his boxing potential and directed him to renowned trainer Cus D’Amato, who became his legal guardian. Tyson compiled a 24–3 record as an amateur and turned professional in 1985.
Mike Tyson was born Michael Gerard Tyson on June 30th, 1966, in Brooklyn, New York. Tyson grew up in a rough neighborhood, and his stepfather was involved in crime and gambling. When Tyson was ten, he and his mother moved because of financial issues. By the age of 13, Tyson had been arrested for 38 crimes, often fighting bigger youths who made fun of his voice (Tyson speaks with a lisp). During school, Tyson’s fighting ability was discovered by a juvenile detention instructor and a former boxer. After working with a few trainers, he linked up with Cus D’Amatto – a trainer who would have an immense influence on the future boxing champ. When Tyson’s mother passed away when he was 16, D’Amatto became his legal guardian. Tyson also worked with Kevin Rooney from a young age.
Boxing has had its fair share of power punchers, but the greatest in the sport have always had the ability to deliver punishment and disorient opponents for an extended period of time. Mike Tyson sorely lacked this ability.
4. Resilience Overcomes All: Life will knock you down, but what matters is getting back up. Tyson’s resilience is legendary; emulate this to overcome setbacks in your career, personal development, and relationships.
Since Tyson’s release, it seemed that he could not escape a life of crime. In 1997, Tyson’s boxing license was revoked for one year after he bit off a chunk of opponent Evander Holyfield’s ear during a boxing match. In the following years, Tyson was charged with two counts of misdemeanor assaults, one felony count of possession of drug paraphernalia, one felony count of drug possession, and two misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence.
But Tyson’s game seemed to be on the decline. Once known for his complicated offensive and defensive moves, the boxer seemed to continually rely on his one-punch knockout move to finish his bouts. He blamed his trainer for his struggles in the ring and fired Rooney in mid-1988.
The next several years were marred with more accusations of physical assaults, sexual harassment, and tysonhistory.com public incidents. In 2000, a random drug test revealed that Tyson had been smoking marijuana. The results caused boxing officials to penalize Tyson by declaring his October 20 victory against Andrew Golota a loss.
In March 2009, 4-year-old Exodus tragically died after accidentally strangling herself on a treadmill cord at her mother’s home in Phoenix. Tyson spoke about the incident later that year in a TV interview with Oprah Winfrey. “My first instinct was a lot of rage, and I am so happy I had the tools in life not to go in that direction,” he said. “There was no animosity. There was no anger towards anybody. I don’t know how she died, and I don’t want to know.”
“I fight for those people: all the oppressed, depressed, alcoholics, drug addicts. I fight to give them hope every day so they can wake up in the morning and know there’s somebody out there fighting for us.”
On June 27, 1988, Tyson faced Michael Spinks. Spinks, who had taken the heavyweight championship from Larry Holmes via fifteen-round decision in 1985, had not lost his title in the ring but was not recognized as champion by the major boxing organizations. Holmes had previously given up all but the IBF title, and that was eventually stripped from Spinks after he elected to fight Gerry Cooney (winning by TKO in the fifth round) rather than IBF Number 1 Contender Tony Tucker, as the Cooney fight provided him a larger purse. However, Spinks did become the lineal champion by beating Holmes and many (including Ring magazine) considered him to have a legitimate claim to being the true heavyweight champion. The bout was, at the time, the richest fight in history and expectations were very high. Boxing pundits were predicting a titanic battle of styles, with Tyson’s aggressive infighting conflicting with Spinks’s skillful out-boxing and footwork. The fight ended after 91 seconds when Tyson knocked Spinks out in the first round; many consider this to be the pinnacle of Tyson’s fame and boxing ability.
