Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson is on the shortlist for most entertaining athletes ever. What does it for Tyson is authenticity. This isn’t an act. He is who he says he is, in every story he tells. Tyson spoke to Vlad TV and talked about using a sexual relationship with a prison counselor in order to receive a reduced sentence.
“I got in trouble like the first six months and stuff, cursing, getting written up. And then by that time, I got the hang of the place. ‘Hey, I know how to do this.’ Next thing you know, I’m dating one of the counsel workers now, she’s letting me have sex with her now. So I’m going good. But the first six months I was getting write-ups, I have to pay that year back.”
Today, Feb. 11, marks the 32 year anniversary of Tyson’s shocking loss to James “Buster” Douglas. Tyson was undefeated and the undisputed heavyweight champion heading into that match in 1990. He was “baddest man on the planet” and the overwhelming betting favorite.
32 years ago today, Buster Douglas shocked the world when he upset Mike Tyson as a 42-to-1 underdog 😤 pic.twitter.com/LhzcojDgwg
— ESPN (@espn) February 11, 2022
The stunning loss via KO in the 10th round sent Tyson on a bit of a spiral. Though he won his next four fights to set up a bout with reigning champion Evander Holyfield in 1991, Tyson suffered an injury during training and had to pull out of the fight.
In July of that year Tyson was arrested, charged and convicted of raping Desiree Washington. It was during this prison stint when he engaged in a sexual relationship with a prison counselor.
“[Now] I’m like a star pupil prisoner. Trusty, everything. Then, ‘Hey, Mike, remember the first six months you were a prick?’ Boom. They gave me another year. So by passing the GED [General Education Development test] they took that year away. So I flunked the f***ing GED and got mad, and so I had to start dating this counselor and stuff, giving her money and doing really some nasty stuff to her, and she let me pass this test.”
Tyson emerged from prison, resumed his boxing career and regained the WBC and WBA heavyweight titles, but he was never really the same following the two Holyfield bouts. Particularly the final fight when he bit part of Holyfield’s ear off.
Since his final professional fight in 2005, Tyson has remained a sought-after figure in popular culture. He’s been in movies, commercials, music videos, published books, and is growing a marijuana business. The man they still call “Iron Mike” and champ continues on.
It hasn’t all been roses. Tyson is a convicted and registered sex offender, he’s struggled with his sobriety (alcohol and drugs), lost a child, been divorced twice, and has had his share of financial difficulties.
Tyson was in talks to fight an exhibition match against Jake Paul, but apparently the money wasn’t right for the now 55-year-old former champ.
The fact that he’s alive and doing well is remarkable when you look back at all the times things could have ended tragically for wrong for him.
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