Yet another chapter in Mike Tyson's very colorful life ended sadly in defeat. At the age of 58, the former heavyweight champion was beaten by a 27 year old social media influencer Jake Paul by an unanimous decision to win an inter-generational heavyweight battle in Texas that failed to live up to its enormous hype.
It was an underwhelming fight with Tyson barely landing a punch. That however cannot be said for his life which has been one full of twists and turns and situations that would make anyone's hair stand on end. His life has been a soap opera. Here are some of them.
The time Tyson became the Tiger King
Tyson raised three big cats which became the symbol of his decadence. "I was foolish, there is no way you can domesticate these cats 100 per cent, there is no way," Tyson said. Owning three tigers led to problems, Tyson explained: "Somebody jumped over my fence, into their inhabitancy. The tiger didn't know the lady. There was a bad accident.". Tyson's car dealer offered him the chance to acquire lions, tigers and cougars in exchange for an old set of wheels in 1995.
The time Tyson confronted Michael Jordan
Tyson and Jordan were guests at the birthday party of Richard Dent, the Chicago Bears defensive end and NFL Hall of Famer, in 1988. "Mike Tyson's sitting there with his drink of choice, a Long Island Tea, and when he drinks his real feelings come out," his former manager Rory Holloway said. "I'm telling the server to water his drinks down because I see where this is going. "Mike stares across the table at Michael Jordan. He says: 'Hey man, you think I'm stupid?'" "Jordan looks like he had just seen a ghost," Holloway later wrote in his book.
The fearsome Maori warrior tattoo that Tyson is famous for was originally planned to be love hearts.
"I was going to get a bunch of hearts, I would be 'the man of hearts', baby! I was very close. The tattoo artist said: 'I ain't doing that'." Tyson said. Tyson later said that he did not regret the tribal tattoo: "No. A lot of stuff happened out of this tattoo, a lot of good stuff”.
The time Tyson's
mansion was turned into a house of worship
Tyson's mansion during his most scandalous days was renovated into The Living Word Sanctuary Church's new home two years ago. "We heard there were some crazy parties here," a pastor said. The church spent years cleaning the dilapidated property in Ohio which had fallen into disrepair before being donated by its previous owner. "The property had been untouched for 10 years," the pastor said. "You had so much grass you could have sold it for hay."
The time Tyson caught Brad Pitt red-handed
Tyson was finalising his divorce papers from Robin Givens in 1989 when he drove round to her house, only to find her handsome new boyfriend was already there. "You had to see the look on his face," Tyson wrote in his book The Undisputed Truth. "He looked like he was ready to receive his last rites”. Tyson claims that Brad Pitt begged him: "'Dude, don't hit me, don't hit me.'"
When Tupac Shakur visited Tyson in prison
The fate of the legendary rapper Tupac will always be interwoven with Tyson's notoriety. Tupac was shot and killed in 1996 in Las Vegas after attending Tyson's fight against Bruce Seldon. Years earlier they formed a friendship - two of the world's most raucous and controversial figures - when Tupac visited Tyson in prison.
"All of a sudden he jumps on the table," Tyson said on T.I.'s ExpediTIously " podcast. "The cops, the guards are looking at him and I'm like: 'Come down, get down from there.' "The guards didn't like him, the inmates got rowdy and pumped up when he came, which is a safety concern.
"He was a bolt of energy there. When he came in everybody knew him, he had mad respect. That's how he lived his life, he had mad respect."
The time Tyson's brother became a surgeon
Rodney Tyson is five years older and was a "weird dude", according to his little brother's autobiography. Today Rodney is an accomplished trauma surgeon but is estranged from his famous sibling. "I scramble brains; Rodney fixes them," Tyson jokes. "He is the smartest guy in America."
The time Tyson became a Peterborough United fan
Tyson was a surprise guest at a Peterborough United friendly 10 years ago, and must be the most famous person to ever wear their shirt. He grabbed a microphone during his half-time appearance and confessed that he'd never heard of Peterborough. He was in town giving a series of talks and to promote his new TV show about pigeon racing. Footage from the Posh's YouTube channel shows the club photographer explaining their opposition on the day. "I know West Ham," Tyson replies. The fearsome boxer then returns a question… but is left shrugging after being ignored by the club photographer.
The time Tyson gave his Rolls-Royce
to a policeman
One of Tyson's scrapes with the law ended in two officers accepting his Rolls-Royce as a bribe then later getting caught in the act. An argument between Tyson and his wife Robin Givens ended when she sped away in his car. "She crashed the car and hurt somebody,"
Tyson later said. "I was afraid the cops would arrest me. I said to the officer: Why don't you just take it? They took it."
The officers were busted when a photographer happened to find the Rolls-Royce in an overnight parking garage’
The time Notorious BIG overdressed for a Tyson house party
Tyson became legendary for his wild house parties and the Notorious B.I.G., the iconic rapper, was at one of them.
"It was so hot, like 110 degrees," NBA veteran Sam Perkins, a guest at the same party, said later.
"In the background there is a brother 20 or 30 feet from me wearing a COOGI sweater!" This was B.I.G., who was used to the cold of New York despite the heat of Las Vegas!