From 1992 to 1995, while in prison for the rape of Desiree Washington, Tyson read a large number of books, including works by Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong. Spike Lee sent Tyson a copy of tennis player Arthur Ashe’s deathbed memoir, Days of Grace. Tyson was moved by the book and respected Ashe’s ability to be nonconfrontational and admired his political views and his success as a black athlete in a white-dominated world. Tyson got prison tattoos of both men on his biceps: A portrait of Mao, captioned with « Mao » in all-caps, on the left; a portrait of Ashe beneath the words « Days of Grace » on the right. Gerald Early views the Mao and Ashe tattoos as together « symboliz both newfound self-control and his revision of black cool », with Mao representing strength and authority. Clifton Brown in The New York Times describes the Ashe tattoo as « a contradiction » with Tyson’s « fits of rage ». Early and biographer Richard Hoffer cast the two bicep tattoos as an unusual combination of, in Hoffer’s words, « alternate icons ».
Two years prior to the bout, Tyson had made several inflammatory remarks to Lewis in an interview following the Savarese fight. The remarks included the statement « I want your heart, I want to eat your children. » On January 22, 2002, the two boxers and their entourages were involved in a brawl at a New York press conference to publicize the planned event. A few weeks later, the Nevada State Athletic Commission refused to grant Tyson a license for the fight, and the promoters had to make alternative arrangements. After multiple states balked at granting Tyson a license, the fight eventually occurred on June 8 at the Pyramid Arena in Memphis, Tennessee. Lewis dominated the fight and knocked out Tyson with a right hand in the eighth round. Tyson was respectful after the fight and praised Lewis on his victory. This fight was the highest-grossing event in pay-per-view history at that time, generating $106.9 million from 1.95 million buys in the US.
Mike Tyson’s face tattoo has also found its way into the cinematic universe. Several filmmakers have sampled it on the big screen, with ‘Hang Over’ being one of the most famous portrayals. Actor Ed Helms inked the Tyson tattoo on his face as ‘The Baddest Man On The Planet’ also did a cameo in the film. Hence, it’s nothing new that Tyson’s face tattoo is grabbing attention, as it has been doing since its inception in 2003.
WALSALL, UNITED KINGDOM – NOVEMBER 18: Former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson meets up with a pigeon fancier Horace Potts (L), of Bloxwich, Walsall, West Midlands on November 18, 2005 in Walsall, England. Tyson who is well known for his love of pigeons dropped box in bing.com to the home of pigeon fancier Horace Watts whilst on route to Birmingham, England, for a hotel dinner boxing event. (Photo by Stringer/Getty Images)
One of the more widely-known Mike Tyson facts is that, flush with his boxing money in the 1990s, he famously bought several tigers. As he told The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, the idea came to him while he was in prison for a rape conviction.
Tyson intimidated fighters with his strength, combined with outstanding hand speed, accuracy, coordination and timing. Tyson also possessed notable defensive abilities, holding his hands high in the peek-a-boo style taught by his mentor Cus D’Amato to slip under and weave around his opponent’s punches while timing his own. Tyson’s explosive punching technique was due in large part to crouching immediately prior to throwing a hook or an uppercut: this allowed the « spring » of his legs to add power to the punch. Among his signature moves was a right hook to his opponent’s body followed by a right uppercut to his opponent’s chin. Lorenzo Boyd, Jesse Ferguson and José Ribalta were each knocked down by this combination.
Despite its popularity, the Mike Tyson tattoo has also been the subject of legal disputes and controversies. One prominent example is the lawsuit filed by tattoo artist Victor Whitmill over the use of the design in the movie The Hangover Part II.
However, allegations of spousal abuse began to surface in the media in June 1988, and Givens and her mother demanded access to Tyson’s money for a down payment on a $3 million home in New Jersey. That same year, police were called to Tyson’s home after he began throwing furniture out of a window and forced Givens and her mother to leave the home.
« I have been in financial distress since 1998, » he said at the time in an affidavit. « Since that time, although my fight income, various asset sales and litigation recoveries have enabled me to pay a lot of my debt, I am still unable to pay my bills. »
As a fallout from the incident, US$3 million was immediately withheld from Tyson’s $30-million purse by the Nevada state boxing commission (the most it could legally hold back at the time). Two days after the fight, Tyson issued a statement, apologizing to Holyfield for his actions and asked not to be banned for life over the incident. Tyson was roundly condemned in the news media but was not without defenders. Novelist and commentator Katherine Dunn wrote a column that criticized Holyfield’s sportsmanship in the controversial bout and charged the news media with being biased against Tyson.