Mike Tyson Biography, Facts, Childhood, Career, Life

Mike Tyson Biography, Facts, Childhood, Career, Life
Mike Tyson – Biography and career accomplishments. (Photo: Toglenn/Wikimedia)

Michael Gerard Tyson (born 30 June 1966) or Mike Tyson is a retired American boxer who reigned in the boxing sphere from 1985 to 2005. During those years which span 20 years, Tyson established himself as the best boxer of his time. His voracious attitude and intimidating demeanor did a lot in helping him defeat his opponents. Tyson was a beast in the ring.

In this article on Mike Tyson biography, facts, childhood, career, and personal life, we’ll review the high and low points in the life of the boxing legend and how his career shaped the boxing scene.

Despite the huge amount of success Tyson experienced in his career, his lack of discipline, as well as the absence of guidance from a mentor, led the boxing sensation down a path which saw the crash of his marriage, and conviction for sex-related crimes, which registered him as a permanent sex offender. It also led him to become addicted to cocaine.

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Mike Tyson’s Biography Facts & Quick Info

Here are some quick facts that you need to know about the retired American professional boxer.

  • Full Name: Michael Gerard “Mike” Tyson
  • Nicknames: The Baddest Man on the Planet, Iron Mike, Kid Dynamite
  • Date of Birth: 30 June 1966
  • Age: 57 years old
  • Place of Birth: New York City, USA
  • Zodiac Sign: Cancer
  • Nationality: American
  • Height: 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
  • Weight: 109 kg
  • Reach: 71 in (180 cm)
  • Education: Ottawa High School
  • Parents: 
    • Father: Purcell Tyson
    • Mother: Lorna Smith (mother)
  • Siblings:
    • Brothers: Shiva Thapa, Rodney Tyson, Jimmie Lee Kirkpatrick
    • Sister: Denise Tyson (sister)
  • Marital Status: Married
  • Wife: Lakiha “Kiki” Spicer (married 2009)
  • Children:
    • Sons: Miguel Lyon Tyson, Amir Tyson, Morroco Tyson
    • Daughters: Exodus Tyson, Mikey Lorna Tyson, Rayna Tyson, Milan Tyson
  • Occupation: Boxer (retired)
  • Weight/Division: Heavyweight
  • Boxing Career: 1985–2005
Mike Tyson Tiger Tee Fashion Line
Photo: miketyson.com

Mike Tyson’s Childhood & Early Life

Michael Gerard “Mike” Tyson was the youngest of three children, born on June 30, 1966, to his father Purcell Tyson, and mother, Lorna Mae Tyson. Though his birth certificate registered Purcell Tyson as his biological father, Tyson knew Jimmy Kirkpatrick a man from North Carolina who met his mother in Brooklyn.

Tyson, who referred to Jimmy Kirkpatrick as his father, said Jimmy was a regular guy who was caught up in the streets. Jimmy engaged in gambling and regularly was seen around pool halls. When Tyson’s mother was about to give birth, Jimmy abandoned her and her kids. She and her kids lived in Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, but dwindling financial resources led her to move to Brownsville. Six years after they relocated, she died, and Tyson who was just 16 years old was left in the care of Cus D’Amato, his boxing trainer.

Tyson revealed he never knew his mother well. He said she thought of him as a wild kid who ran the street. That had a crushing emotional effect on him. Tyson, who lived in a community with a high crime rate, was caught up in crime. At just 13, he has been arrested by the cops on 38 occasions. He was sent to Tryon School in New York. Bobby Stewart, a former boxer who worked as a Juvenile detention counselor, noticed his boxing skill and thus began training him before introducing him to Cus D’Amato.

Mike Tyson’s Career & Accomplishments

In Tyson’s amateur career, Tyson participated in the Junior Olympics both in 1981 and 1982 and won gold medals on both occasions. In March 1985, Tyson went pro, defeating Hector Mercedes in the first round by TKO. In his first year of professional boxing, he fought 15 opponents, winning all.

Tyson’s increasing winning streak attracted stakeholders in the boxing works, including the media. But sadly, as soon as his career was set to take off, D’amato died. Pundits credit the death of the man who guided Tyson in his early career as the root of the troubles Tyson will experience in his glamorous career.

About a year after D’amato’s demise, Tyson won the World Boxing Council Heavyweight title at just 20. He thus emerged the youngest Heavyweight champion ever. He progressed in his career and adopted an intimidating personality, and the peekaboo style his late mentor, D’amato, taught him.

In March 1987, Tyson added the World Boxing Association belt to his WBC title. Following his win, ‘Tyson-mania’ became a popular word widely seen in the media. In August 1987, he won the International Boxing Federation belt, and thus emerged as the first-ever boxer to hold the WBC, WBA, and IBF belts simultaneously.

After an executive of the gaming company, Nintendo watched Tyson fight, it was agreed that Tyson would be featured in a video game. The Mike Tyson Punch-Out video game was released in 1987 and about a million copies of the game were sold. His win of the three major sanctioning bodies belt made him the undisputed boxing champion.

Following his undisputed championship win, Tyson’s troubles grew. He left his manager Bill Cayton and fired longtime trainer Kevin Rooney, who helped build his career following D’amato’s death. The issues he faced in his personal Life affected him in reality as he couldn’t train well.

In a fight against Busta Douglas, Tyson, who was fit and in shape, lost his undisputed Championship to Douglas. The defeat is rated as one of the most surprising upsets in the boxing world. Following his loss, Tyson continued to fight, but his performance was not as convincing as his previous bouts.

As Tyson planned on winning titles, disaster struck. Eighteen years old, Miss Black Rhode Island winner, Desiree Washington, accused him of rape. Tyson was tried by the Marion County Superior Court and was found guilty and sentenced to six years imprisonment with four years of probation. He was incarcerated at the Plainfield Correctional Facility, formerly called the Indianapolis Youth center, in April 1992, and was related in August 1995, after three years in prison. While in prison, he converted to Islam and changed his name to Malik Abdul Aziz.

After he was released from, Tyson was back in boxing and went on to win the WBC and WBA titles. In November 1996, Tyson lost his WBA title to Evander Holyfield who came out of retirement to fight Tyson. There were allegations of headbutts by Holyfield in the bout. The rematch occurred in June 1997 and ended after Tyson was disqualified for biting Holyfield’s ears twice.

The bite was so severe that a part of Holyfield’s right ear was found on the floor. The Nevada State Athletic Commission temporarily seized his boxing license, and he was fined $3 million. Tyson issued an apology and requested not to be banned for life. In October 1998, he was given his license.

From 1999 to 2005, Mike Tyson continued fighting but did not win any title. Towards the end of his career, there was a rumor of Tyson going Bankrupt, which resulted in him firing his entire staff and hiring new ones. In June 2005, Tyson retired from boxing. 

Mike Tyson’s Wife, Kids, Personal Life

Tyson is a father of seven and has been married three times. He got married to actress Robin Givens in February 1988. The marriage, which lasted just a year, was filled with violence and lots of drama. In a joint interview with Barbara Walters on ABC in 1988, Givens referred to Tyson as a maniac depressive while Tyson looked calmly. The marriage did not produce any children. Givens was said to have had a miscarriage, but Tyson disputed that, saying she was never pregnant and only lied about her pregnancy for him to marry her.

His second marriage was to Konica Turner in April 1997. In January 2003, they divorced over adultery. The marriage produced two children. In May 2009, Tyson’s daughter, Exodus, died from injuries sustained from her dangling from a cord in a tread Mill. Less than two weeks after his daughter’s death, he married Lakiha “Kiki” Spicer in June 2009.

After four years of being a vegan, he revealed in December 2013, that he’s no longer a vegan.

Tyson was one of the notable supporters of Donald J Trump’s presidential aspirations in 2015.

Tyson is bipolar.

SEE MORE: Biography facts, childhood and personal life of famous boxing stars


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