American former professional boxer Michael Gerard Tyson was born in Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York
on June 30, 1966. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career,
and later known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson is considered one of the
best heavyweight boxers of all time. During his heyday, Mike was one of the most famous
and highest-paid athletes in the world. He was the youngest champion in history at age
20. ESPN called him "The Hardest Hitter in Heavyweight History," and Sky Sports
dubbed him "the most ferocious fighter to step into a professional ring." Although
Tyson was a talented boxer, his reputation was marred by controversy in and out of the ring.
Tyson grew up in a rough neighborhood,
and his stepfather, Jimmy Kirkpatrick, was involved in crime and gambling.
Tyson's mother, Lorna Smith Tyson, passed away when he was 16, leaving Tyson in
the care of boxing manager and trainer Cus D'Amato, who would become his legal guardian.
Throughout his childhood, Tyson lived around neighborhoods with a high rate of crime. He was
repeatedly caught committing petty crimes and fighting those who ridiculed his high-pitched
voice and lisp. By the age of 13, Tyson had been arrested 38 times. 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.
Mike Tyson has been married three times, and has seven children, one deceased, with three women.
His first marriage was to actress Robin Givens from February 1988 to February 1989.
Tyson's marriage to Givens was especially tumultuous, with allegations of violence,
spousal abuse, and mental instability on Tyson's part. They had no children.
His second marriage was to Monica Turner from April 1997 to January 2003. Turner filed for
divorce from Tyson in January 2002, claiming that he committed adultery
during their five-year marriage. The couple had two children; son Amir and daughter Rayna.
Tyson also has two daughters, one with girlfriend Sol Xochitl named Exodus,
the other with girlfriend Kimberly Scarborough named Mikey Lorna and a son named Miguel.
On May 25, 2009, Tyson's four-year-old daughter Exodus
passed away after a tragic accident while she was playing on the family treadmill.
Eleven days after his daughter's death, Tyson wed for the third time,
to longtime girlfriend Lakiha "Kiki" Spicer. They have two children; daughter Milan and son Morocco.
Tyson's first experiences with professional boxing were in the Junior Olympics, where
he won gold medals in 1981 and 1982. He made his professional debut as an 18-year-old in 1985 and
truly arrived on the world stage with a nationally televised fight against journeyman heavyweight
Jesse Ferguson in February 1986. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and
later known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson is considered one of the best heavyweight
boxers of all time. He reigned as the undisputed world heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990.
Claiming his first belt at 20 years, four months, and 22 days old, Tyson holds the record as the
youngest boxer to win a heavyweight title. He was also the first heavyweight boxer to simultaneously
hold the WBA, WBC and IBF titles, as well as the only heavyweight to unify them in succession.
From 1988 onward, Tyson's career seemed to go downhill and his problems outside the ring were
also starting to emerge. His marriage to Robin Givens was heading for divorce, he fired Kevin
Rooney – the man credited with building Tyson into a top fighter. He was arrested for rape
and spent six years behind bars in 1991. Due to his conviction, Tyson is required to register
as a Tier II sex offender under federal law. Tyson's comeback was successful at first but
then lost his WBA belt and had his boxing license rescinded in 1997. In 1999, Tyson returned to
professional boxing once again only to return to prison for nine months after allegedly assaulting
two motorists. His last professional victory was in 2003 when he beat Clifford Etienne.
After a number of attempted comeback fights, injuries, and defeats, Mike Tyson retired in 2005.
He has been inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame.
Forbes claim his total career earnings could even have been as high as $685million.
However, as of 2020 Tyson's net worth is estimated to be just $3m.
Iron Mike’s Las Vegas area home is for sale priced at $1.5 million. His 5,800-square-foot
contemporary home on a third acre has five bedrooms, six bathrooms and three fireplaces.
The two-story house is industrially styled with skybridges, open ductwork and vaulted ceilings
with materials of marble, wood, steel and slate. Outside is a pool with waterfall and two spas.
Mike Tyson’s car collection over the years was just as lavish, with the boxing superstar
owning many different unique luxury car models. Unfortunately, many of those were sold off at car
auctions after he declared bankruptcy in 2003. Mike Tyson owned a red 1995 Ferrari F50,
and this was probably one of his most expensive and most high-performance purchases during his
long and tremendous career. A brand new one can cost a whopping $3.6 million.
Tyson got himself a new Lambo after winning a Las Vegas fight against Bruce Sheldon in 1996.The
Lamborghini he bought was the Super Diablo Twin Turbo, with only seven units were built and it
cost him a whopping $500,000. Mike's
choice of luxury vehicle was a Bentley Continental SC,
and he spent a whopping $300,000 to get himself one of the only 73 units of the car ever produced.
In 1997, Tyson bit boxer Evander Holyfield’s ear twice in a heavyweight champion fight.
The second time round, he bit so hard that he managed to chew off part of Holyfield’s right ear.
When he was 10 years old, he spent $100 on his flock of pigeons, but since then,
his love for birds has never faded away. He even hosted an Animal Planet show about the birds,
called Taking On Tyson. He also has unusual pet likings with 3 Royal Bengal Tigers.
The film Tyson was released in 1995 and was directed by Uli Edel.
The role of Tyson was played by Michael Jai White.
In 2008, the documentary Tyson premiered at the annual Cannes Film Festival in France.