punches are not made they are born he
was born a puncher it's just my nature I
mean it I mean the reach for you and
take your heart or your blood your
spleen and liver the only place is
everything he ever used to find any
peace in the world was in the ring I
want to have a perfect fight I want to
be the best fighter
I felt like Mike was kidnapped into the
Don King cult and brainwashed Don is a
master of finding a person's weakness
the fight is all key news Tice's sex
life and the women around him to control
him my nature I'm Wow big all this is my
mentality the way I am you leave it on
I'm producing a lot of energy
Mike Tyson is more than wild Mike Tyson
is the most brutal man to ever step into
a professional boxing ring is the only
man to ever be disqualified in a
championship bout for biting his
opponent not once but twice his action
sent thousands of fans racing out of the
arena in fear I was inside a casino and
freaking people just started to a
shots-fired people just started running
out
the Nevada State Athletic Commission
revoked Tyson's license for a period of
one year time to reconsider whether or
not he was emotionally fit to fight
again Larry Merchant covered Tyson
almost from his beginnings all fighters
previous previously of his type in the
heavyweight division
meaning Dempsey Marciano and Fraser had
short blazing careers that kind of style
does not allow a fighter to help a very
long career as Joe Lewis did as Muhammad
Ali did as Larry Holmes did
so even giving him the best of
intentions the greatest of will to
change over there's a serious question
of whether it can be done
Tyson grew up in Brooklyn his father
abandoned him his mother couldn't
control him everything was so hospitable
and there was another a so moment it was
only Hospital how are we stopping
and I mean emmalin's always coming to
pick up somebody guns always going off
people to get instead windows are being
broken very very hostile we're excited
we thought was something you know we
used to watch these guys shoot not one
another it was somewhat I'm watching
John Wayne shoot out of hell
what um some old Humphrey Bogart it was
a Robertson movie and watching these
guys shoot out and you're looking if you
want having a real life by the time he
was 8 he was a street punk trying to
survive it was so exciting I mean your
world is so vastly different you could
never understand you the action and
excitement of it all I mean the
cunningness you know me not be able to
outsmart somebody was a big thrill maybe
not if the world and be the guy had been
slam on the ground and take his wallet
down sound smart them now time to top
things and even though they know that
you're a crook when you're on the bus or
when you're walking in the check-cashing
place to the grocery store they know to
watch you and you still outsmart them I
think most people would think
well she knows me she's on to me I'm
gonna walk away but just to still watch
and watch them and they think they know
and then they make one mistake and y'all
smarter than they have their wallet yeah
I'm not a professional cook but when I
was young I just wanted to out thinking
I did of you look like your friend you
had to see the way I did this dear
friend you had to see this you know you
had to actually get Academy Awards for
this a and it was just I thought I don't
care I had a great time and I mean it
was a great learning experience in life
he was a teenage bugger and predator he
had 38 arrests of the juvenile by the
time he was 13 Tyson was sentenced to a
juvenile center in upstate New York for
his luck changed when he was brought to
the attention of a boxing man by the
name of custom ATO custom otta was a
legendary boxing figure who had led
champions like Jose Torres and Floyd
Patterson to world titles custom Otto
rescued him from a life of crime in
prison gave him an opportunity developed
his boxing skills
Tyson was 12 he was very shy he looks
very strong he looked too small and a
little bit too fat to make any
projection over him cus D'Amato brought
two trainers into Tyson's life Teddy
Atlas and Kevin Rooney
I met Tyson Catskill New York with
custom model I was up there training
fighters I was training all the fighters
for custom ATO I was training at the
time when Bobby Stewart who was a
correctional officer in ma our youth
prison near Albany caught up Carson
Ansel if I would take a look at this
young kid named Mike Tyson it was a
gentleman named Bobby Stewart it was an
exciting new cuff I got to help him a
great deal and I wanted to be ibaka I
watched him box with the kid when he
found out that steward was a former
fighter which he was pro and amateur
steward showed him a couple of things
and Tyson became very energized and very
excited about the prospect of maybe
learning how to box and when he found
out he was friendly because Ison was
excited that he might have an
opportunity to come
and me cuz in his 70s when he met Tyson
D'Amato believed he'd found the kid who
once again could put casts on a
championship track we trained them
myself and Teddy the beginning we
trained them steadily to finally start
get boxing and then Lee developed the
ability to slip punches and so forth but
he got their play with slipping punches
we had a difficult time getting people
buckling because he proved to be a very
hard punch with both hands Tyson was he
was like a sponge he just absorbed
everything that costs had to teach him
you know the head movement throwing the
punches with with bad intentions the
right the proper snapping I mean I
recall my candle you know practicing for
for warm sustained periods of time 10-15
minutes in the mirror just throwing like
one the right upper car left oh just
over and over and over cause had an
extensive films at the house of the old
fighters Dempsey Armstrong Robinson and
that's used to watch some more time
Henry Armstrong style here is typical of
them head down on the chest of his
opponent but that's the share you go
there you go again again who's the last
guy to stop time very good that's why me
I want to do something that nobody ever
done evolving or I'm gonna do that I
don't want to actually kill somebody or
any of the things with Jack Dempsey
broke people eyesockets and that's to
mean enough that's a harder get to see
that guy did this the trainer's worked
on Tyson's boxing skills cos used Jose
Torres as a role model coach the amira
said this kid may become the youngest
heavyweight champion of the world he
wanted to impress us he knew exactly why
I was there he was there to audition to
be able to change his life baby to move
somewhere else after you got out of
prison
cliff watching me in cutter please I
guess and he said you have too much
talent and if it you're good kid
you go buddy Brooklyn you only gotta get
yourself in trouble and from that point
on he adopted me
yeah I look great all great look at
other comes to read with a hawk look at
this fires me ah leave of unbelievable
that's what tingle look at him
unbelievable
Tyson raised pigeons at cusses house a
pursuit he discovered as a child growing
up in Brooklyn but Tyson was not content
to only play with his pigeons passion
was wild he used to disappear cause
through Tyson out of the house in front
of me get out of here
there wasn't one point and another point
he asked Tyson out to fight with him
there was a time here at one time when
there was an argument between Tyson and
coach and Tyson coach went outside come
here you know you want to be you want to
be a tough guy come here and I like
we're going to fight and coach was very
serious and Tyson of course he laughed
I worked away we had problems he got
thrown out of the school a lot of this
stuff quite honestly was kept quiet
because the image was important you know
the kid in the old man that was a great
image you know that could really sell
the kid in the old man well not exactly
at least when the kid wanted to play he
used to leave for the weekends to see
his mother in Brooklyn he was supposed
to leave on Saturday and come back on
Sunday and sometimes he stayed lost for
three or four or five days and cause is
to come to the city
and he used to call me other times and I
used to go over bed-stuy
looking for Brownsville looking for
Tyson all over the place and sometimes
we found him most time we did not and I
was wild I never had the opportunity
because I focused most of my life I'm
sure most associate here and not it not
as accurate but you
me of course I mean I was interested in
women whatever troubles Tyson was
encountering outside the ring it was not
affecting the natural killer instinct
inside with cus and Teddy atlases
guidance Tyson had beaten every amateur
opponent and in 1982 he defended his
Junior Olympics title his reputation had
preceded him the year before some of the
less developed fighters intentionally
lost their matches terrified of facing
Tyson and risking serious physical
injury
while other fighters may have seen him
as a vicious animal to be feared and
avoided Tyson showed another side of
himself before stepping into the ring
for the championship match he broke down
before the bout giving voice to a
familiar lament his fear that if he lost
no one would love him better find us in
whoever gonna fight here it's always
hard but I mean ya know my type anybody
like yeah that's right he has reason to
be proud
the champ played smart I like a tiger in
Kong
Tyson has a great overhand why
we'll see for them to match up
he's got it in the corner he's working
on
taking some vicious punishment and held
on he's really
there's another way by Tyson
right
get on Tyson having disposed of the
amateurs Tyson turned professional the
beginning of Mike Tyson's career was
guided perfectly from the trainers the
training the promoting the fights
acquired for Mike Tyson here was a man
that sometimes for twice a month
unbelievable it's so hard for a manager
to get two fights a month for a fighter
never mind the amount of fights that
they got for Team Tyson team Tyson was
the perfect team for boxing and then I
see you know Mike Tyson was like the
hottest up-and-coming fighter that we
had seen since the young cash is quite a
Rocky Marciano I mean they were putting
a minute or Joe Lazo put them in there
and that category was because what
because he was knocking guys out he was
knocking every time I drew the punching
through with bad intentions and he
wasn't getting hit
several months after turning pro Tyson
was hit with the hardest blow of his
career when his adoptive father and
mentor custom Otto died of pneumonia
no one was certain Tyson could continue
Jim Jacobs assumed the place in Tyson's
heart that had been held by custom otto
the friend the mentor the replacement
for the father that he never knew Jacobs
told Mike win the title for cus cus died
one year before
Tyson became a champion and coach was
saying publicly that he was still alive
probably because of Tyson Jim Jacobs who
was working with Tyson and bill Cayton
they had they had an association they
they took over he suffered in silence
that you know I think that Tyson turned
the hurtfulness and solid pet some
vicious angry and he started knocking
guys there was not guys out in the gym I
think that he actually turned in wood
and had a work form that's what I
believe happened
in 1984 85 86 and most of 87 Mike lived
in my apartment here in Manhattan and he
would sleep on the couch and then he'd
become a top 10 fighter then it became
the number one contender and then he
became heavyweight champion of the world
so to come out of my bedroom in the
morning and there on the couch is the
heavyweight champion of the world and my
my friend is it's like having Willie
Mays or Mickey Mantle sleeping on your
couch the most incredible feeling in the
world but all during that time period he
was a terrific kid that was a right to
the body and an uppercut by Tyson at the
age of 20 became cusses dream the
youngest heavyweight champion of the
world having conquered the division
Tyson turned his attentions to a
beautiful young actress the star of a
popular television sitcom Robin Givens
at the beginning I was for the idea of
tax on marrying Robin Givens
because Tyson was getting too wild he
began to get attention from women in
industry he was going crazy good woman
and I felt that if he married one woman
he would stick but on the controller one
woman and I would have been much better
for him I didn't care I were the woman
but in this case I thought that Robin
Givens was in good woman before I get
married to me like I say I was a young
kid 15 16 17 18 19 and out making great
deal of money very famous more than
making out very famous I mean and I was
wild I never had the opportunity because
I focused most of my life I'm sure most
associate here and not not as accurate
perhaps I don't know what they all are
but you and me of course I mean I was
interested in women Robin was a very you
know seemed to be a very sweet girl and
I was delighted with the fact that he
was getting married I thought it'd be
good for Mike and but as soon as she got
married she called up and said she's
mrs. Mike Tyson I'm taking over I want
to see all the books all the records in
1988 once Mike got married Robin Givens
and Ruth of course were very interested
in taking over Mike's career it became
very obvious when we were in Tokyo
for the Tubbs fight we're flying home
from Japan and it was a 13 hour flight
and Robin Givens gets up and announces
the bill Cayton and I'm mrs. Tyson now
and everything's got to go through me so
right then that was the first sign that
they were looking to take Tyson over it
was reported to us here in New York that
Robin and Ruth were at the bank already
claiming Mike's accounts and telling Jim
Jacobs and bill Cayton that they're
there taking over and Robin went on
record to bill and Jim saying she's mrs.
Mike Tyson she's taking over and he
turned out to be a mistake you know I
turned out to be a mistake because it
was like a game the marriage and then
the relationship with Tyson and their
mother Tyson barely had time for a
honeymoon before tragedy struck his life
once again
Tyson's mentor and co manager Jim Jacobs
who'd been fighting leukemia for eight
years died on March 23rd 1988 - the
young champion it was a shocking and
unexpected event Jacobs had been the
replacement for custom auto and Tyson's
emotional universe and he'd been kept in
the dark about his surrogate father's
illness then Jim Jacobs died when Mike
was 21 and that created the opening the
opportunity for Don King to move in on a
very confused 21 year old kid and
manipulate him into becoming part of Don
Kings Empire with his new marriage and
the pressure of fame and fortune
pressing relentlessly on him Tyson
needed a father figure now now more than
ever
by the time June 1988 rolled around
Tyson's personal and professional lives
were in disarray his manager and mentor
Jim Jacobs was gone and the recently
wedded champ was being cold and
manipulated by several opposing forces
in one corner there was Robin Givens and
her mother Ruth Roper who are fighting
for control of the Champs fortune on the
opposing side bill Cayton the manager
would help make Tyson a
multi-millionaire and international
celebrity and then there was Don King
the flamboyant spiked haired promoter
the new force in Tyson's life this is
the high road I'm not mad at anybody
I have no axe to grind with anyone all I
want to do is to present to America and
the world the best in boxing in a
camaraderie conviviality type of setting
I'm a dreamer I'm a big dreamer and when
I strike starts arena I get a lot of
trouble
I just want to announce that we've just
heard that this is the greatest live
gate in the history of professional
sports twelve point three million
dollars by the time Tyson stepped back
into the ring to defend his title
against Michael Spinks his life outside
the ring was on the ropes just 10 days
before the bout in Atlantic City Robin
Givens and her mother Ruth Roper went
public with tales of beatings by Tyson
and on the day of the fight
Tyson sued his manager bill Cayton
claiming Katyn had been dishonest in his
handlings of the Champs finances there's
no petty cash just think that of all
millions and millions and millions and
not just tens and twenties I mean
hundreds of millions of dollars anything
and what I did was when he has to have
all the records I had a complete readout
made of every dollar in every dollar out
from the day we took over him when Mike
turned pro and I sent that to the lawyer
and that was the end of it lawyer he was
more than satisfied we never heard
another word from that lawyer
even though King kept saying that that
we stole money the fact is that we paid
Mike everything overpaid Mike and every
coopered money that we paid during his
mother career this is this is serious
many people understand they don't
understand a contract and what we had
for the future people you know this is
worth a great deal of money Robin and
Ruth decided that while the Spinks fight
was going to be taking place they wanted
to make sure that the moment the Spinks
fight was over and Mike had had his
payday of 23 million dollars they want
to make sure that they were in charge
and they did a very good job of
convincing Mike that everything that had
been done from up into that point was
not in his best interest that the monies
that were generated by Mike he was
getting cheated out of and all of the
things that they told him given
information to them by Don King worked
and Mike genuinely believed
that everything that had been done for
him was not in his best interest I done
press meetings gonna win Mike billed as
Tyson Spinks once and for all and seen
by oddsmakers as Tyson's biggest
challenge yet this bout had far more
drama going on outside the ring than it
did inside big moment leave big moment
for boxing
biggest fight in boxing history by far a
professional fighter
Tyson disposed of Spinks in 91 seconds
Tyson may have left Atlantic City with
his title intact but the drama
surrounding the fight would continue Don
was able to grab Mike bring him out to
Cleveland
keep him in Cleveland until he was able
to convince Mike that he was in his best
interest whatever the story was whatever
sure Mike needed at that time whether it
was wine women or song Don got him to be
able to keep him in Cleveland to give
Don the time it took for Don to start
pitching the stories and Don is the
greatest pitcher of all time he did made
some moves about closing off bank
account so that the women could not put
checks against him which were in Mike's
interest but they weren't being done for
Mike they were being done for Don Kings
that cement his association with him
this lawsuit is brought by Mike Tyson
there were charges and counter-charges
eventually Donald Trump announced the
deal that left Katyn as manager
King as promoter Mike asked me and his
family asked me whether or not I'd help
them in terms of representation in terms
of helping him to solve some of the
problems that you're going to have as a
21 year old fighter and I said I would
do that and I'd like to see him be
successful so that at the age of 30 or
35 when he's ready to stop he doesn't
have to worry about anything history
has said that oftentimes people or
boxers or fighters or just athletes who
have made millions turn around
years later and wonder where it went Joe
Lewis had to find an extra fight for
financial reasons Kareem abdul-jabbar
has to go an extra season for financial
reasons I never want my husband to be a
physician to have to fight through
another fight I want him to step into
the ring as often as he wants because he
wants to because he enjoys it never for
financial reasons and as much money as
Michael makes he should never have to do
it for financial reasons I'm running my
show I don't have to fight anybody he's
employed by me and it seemed like it was
the other way around when I was employed
by him and the contract that we had
agreed which I trusted them and I had
dried up it was basically like a serving
contract I fight win and win whoever
they said or whatever in that I feel
wasn't justified rightly I'm very
pleased the matter is resolved I'm happy
to be working with Mike Tyson who I am
absolutely confident history will decide
was the greatest heavyweight of all time
he's got strong power over his own
destiny he's got strong control over his
own destiny and I think that Mike and
Bill working together are going to be
really something over the next few years
I'm gonna take a couple 6-8 weeks off
relax I'm making the decisions like I
said now that's good the first time
making my own to say neither side I'm
not gonna fight if I would never been
involved with then my girlfriend did my
wife Robin Givens I would have never
been aware and I'm eyes would have never
been open to what was happening and I
like to commend my wife well I love so
much thank you
despite the public announcements the
struggle for control of Tyson's career
despite the public announcements the
struggle for control of Tyson's career
would continue to unfold in the coming
years as with the turmoil in his
personal life during the summer of 88
after the contract between bill Cayton
and Mike Tyson was renegotiated with
Robin and Ruth everything was pretty
calm for about six eight six six to
eight weeks and then there was the
blow-up between Mike Tyson and Robin
Givens at the mansion in Bernardsville
in a nationally televised interview
Robin Givens told Barbara Walters that
Tyson was a manic
pressive a charge that would later prove
groundless she also renewed her claim
that Tyson beat her several days later
people were summoned to Tyson's mansion
in New Jersey on a domestic disturbance
call and shortly after that Robin Givens
filed for divorce with Robin gone Tyson
turned to his promoter Don King I knew
Mike Tyson from 1980 to 1988 once he was
kidnapped into this Don King cult he
never returned one of my phone calls I
don't know if my messages were ever
given to him
It was as if Mike Tyson went into a cult
and the cult leaders made him break off
ties to all of his old friends Don King
ingratiates himself with fighters by
appealing to their worst angels instead
of their better angels and allowing them
to do what they please and in that way
to to gain their loyalty Kevin Rooney
was a wonderful trainer for him Kevin
Rooney loved them but Don King made him
fire Kevin Rooney and I think the day
Tyson fired Kevin Rooney there was a cap
put on Mike Tyson development as a
fighter he did not develop anymore
beyond that date he was never in tip-top
shape for any fight after he fired
Rooney he stopped moving his head he
began to accept clinches he started to
jab less you could see that up but under
Don King not only did his character and
morals decline in a road his boxing
technique began to decline in a road
because he no longer had Kevin Rooney
who are Teddy Atlas
he didn't want to submit himself as an
athlete to anyone who could have any
authority to anyone who could say no and
he surrounded himself bought bought
friends with the money he made and
surrounded himself with with
semi-professionals and allowed all of
the distractions that come with with
fame and fortune to impose themselves on
him
if the oddsmakers were aware of Tyson's
flagging commitment to his boxing it was
not reflected in their handicapping of
Tyson's bout in Tokyo against James
Buster Douglas in February of 1990
magical zones so about two weeks before
the final realizes that it was like 20
pounds overweight he goes on a crash
diet
he got downs I think was like 225 Tyson
was a 42 to one favorite before the
fight rumors had swirled about Tyson's
mental and physical state it when
knocked down and sparring and didn't
seem focused during training he'd faced
adversity in his personal life from day
one but never had his demons affected
him in the ring for the first time the
greatest champion of his generation had
lost control in the one place he had
always seemed to be able to maintain it
the bell rang and I could see Tyson
wasn't himself and he wasn't he wasn't
initially I guess he figured that well
maybe this guy's gonna fall down but
looking at him
so Tyson looked mean Adam Douglas said
okay and he started throwing a couple of
jabs he started landing first round
second round third round now all the
sudden Buster Douglas went from being
what we call scared fired up to a brave
fighter and what's that pattern that
once you go from being nervous to be in
real brave you don't go back to be a
nerve you stay real brave and he just he
just petty pace in mind and he game abhi
that will finish things in all that what
an uppercut by we acknowledge the fact
that Buster Douglas put on a brilliant
performance the man was magnificent and
it indicated as I've told you many times
before and many of the press conferences
that we have had the greatness of boxing
is the unpredictability of it
fighters lose mojo writers the mature
writers here they're a lot older they've
been around a lot longer than I have in
the fight Bennett they seem fighters
better than I who these things happen on
the mat before from the champion house
it's the rematch
I'll be ok Tyson was humiliated he had
never taken such a public beating now
more than ever he needed approval and
more than ever he turned to sex
Rudy Gonzales was Mike Tyson's chauffeur
and later a bodyguard and personal aide
Rudy Gonzales was at Tyson side
constantly he was a first-hand observer
of Tyson sex life our life with with
with Tyson where women were simple they
were always around they were always
trying to call themselves into the car
and trying to get with him and and it
becomes confusing King nudists can use
Tyson's sex life and the women around
him to control him Tyson didn't run down
the streets running around trying to
grab people basically women would put
themselves in his arms and and and and
actually melt and fold and twist in
certain ways that he would react to like
any man would July 18 1991 Tyson met
Desiree Washington a Miss black America
contestant at a pageant rehearsal in
Indianapolis she accompanied him back to
his hotel room in the early morning
hours three days later Washington filed
a complaint with police alleging the
Tyson raped her
back up come on back up
all right you
boy
nube please
these charges are in connection with the
sexual assault this was the greatest
crisis of his young life his freedom and
reputation were at stake the situation
that occurred was it's totally
ridiculous and I didn't hurt he want to
do anything to anyone and I love women
you know me my mother's a woman I
respect them as well and the course and
I mean every time I trust want to get
involved one certain way like this that
happened so I'm confused I'm just I miss
Lawson the whole issue that happened
today surprisingly none of the team
Tyson men who had stood with him at
custom Otto's early in his career were
there now only one man stood at Tyson
side Don King please excuse us
new processes really all we are looking
for and if new processes is exhibited
here that justice will prevail
still hoping to fight all of you right
now
give him his constitutional right Mike
Tyson is now synonymous to due process
the constitution of this great United
States we're not arguing whether he's
guilty or innocent we're saying that due
process take its course I wasn't in a
hotel room you never know what actually
happened
Tyson felt a kind of entitlement with
the world that whatever he wanted he
could get and he was sort of out of
control and like a lot of star athletes
and entertainers didn't feel that the
rules applied to him and found out that
they did the press disappear a little
over say is in giving the man a scathing
indictment by innuendo insinuation
accusation jimena so you've been
castigated were you surprised by
anything you heard from the defense in
their final no I mean you know when you
discover like we discovered in this case
you know I have a very very surprised
first time they actually start
deliberating I figured on the Pontic
loss or five minutes ago received word
from the jury that we they have reached
a verdict
after nine hours of deliberations the
Indianapolis jury found Tyson guilty do
not come to conclusion until the
conclusion of our deliberation all we
wanted to do and I think we did a very
good job of that we wanted to be sure of
what we did we wanted to be fair we know
that it was going to be like this
because it's Indiana well I think was
probably a very fair very excellent in
what I want to say is while we're
confident of the verdict and while we
are we remain steadfast in our posture
versus the crime that was committed we
do have a sense of compassion for any
defendant is convicted of a crime and
faces the uncertain future that this
young man does
serving a six-year term at the Indiana
youth center Tyson was back in the
setting in you all too well from his
days as a street punk
but once again he fought back he became
a Muslim had his sentence cut in half
for good behavior and on March 25th 1995
he was a free man
Tyson the Muslim was expected to fire
Don King but he did not to the surprise
of boxing fans
Tyson signed a new contract with Don
King worth tens of millions of dollars
the fight is all the reason he went with
King when he got our jobs very simple
King was the only man on this planet who
could take a man out of jail a convicted
rapist and do a deal with one of the
biggest companies in this country MGM a
six or eight fight dog can't remember
exactly which for 30 million dollars a
fight and the first fight he had was
against Pete McNeely of all time I wish
Don King managed me because King was
clever enough to put together the best
financial package and make the best
guarantee to one all the other guys were
saying I'll do great things for you King
was able to lay a deal out on the table
that said you're gonna make a hundred or
150 million dollars if you go with me it
was a business decision it soon became
clear
the Don King and once again cast a spell
on Tyson the spiked haired promoter was
in charge of the ex-con X champs come
back from Amboy Street in Brooklyn and a
part of the community the former world
champion of the world Mike Tyson
I think that donking has taxes number
you know intellectually the same way
Holyfield has Tyson numbers pugilistic
Lea Tyson might have as much on King as
King back on Tyson so there was a kind
of mutually assured destruction
potential between them I think it was
the money in the emotion he felt safer
with King King had power in the boxing
world these other guys would just talk
Duncan knows Tyson he knows how to be to
persuade Tyson he knows her to dissuade
Tyson he manipulated Aizen outside away
like a little boy Tyson's comeback was
plagued by controversy from the start
and while the fight set up by Don King
might not have been what most boxing
observers would call competitive they
were immensely profitable Tyson status
as the biggest draw in boxing was once
again secure he's selling tickets now
the way he always did buy things for a
different reason where once it was to
watch it was tremendous boxer now I
think there's an odd sort of a circus
around him people want what's gonna
happen this time
and that sells that sells in America
well Tyson wasn't the dominant pugilist
he'd been in his prime he was still a
dangerous fighter with too much speed
and punching power for almost every
other ranked heavyweight Tyson quickly
retained the WBC and WBA titles with
victories over Frank Bruno and Bruce
Seldon finally Tyson was going to get
his long sought-after bout against
Evander Holyfield
and because they thought Holyfield was
completely washed up as a fighter and
they thought that his name would attract
a big audience and restore Tyson's own
name otherwise they never would have
taken that fight if they thought that
Holyfield could still fight they would
not have taken the fight Tyson Holyfield
years in the making
I'm looking for the winning my main
objective is just a win I truly believe
that the fight will be and you're tough
until I convinced him that you are I'm
the band turned out to be a giant
letdown Tyson was dominated by Holyfield
and the fight had to be stopped in the
11th round for only the second time in
his professional career the fighter once
thought unbeatable had suffered defeat
Tyson wasn't in good shape and he was
believing his press clippings I guess
and Holyfield proceeded to give him
another beating as it turned out
Holyfield exposed Tyson exposed the fact
that he had gone way back as a fighter
and exposed the fact that he was
basically a bully in the ring and that
if you stood up to him that he would
come apart on June 28th 1997 Tyson
stepped into the ring with Evander
Holyfield once again it would be a day
of infamy for boxing and for Tyson as
well
the uncontrolled demons which had
followed him through most of his life
would on this day slip between the ropes
creating one of the ugliest moments in
boxing history I didn't know what I was
seeing at first then when I realized
he'd been his ears it occurred to me
that this is a guy who quit who was
looking to get out of a fight and then I
don't really think that was the case I
think he was frustrated he realized he
found someone he couldn't intimidate he
couldn't bully he couldn't beat and he
just reacted in frustration and bailed
out
referee Mills Lane warned Tyson but
seconds later Tyson did the unthinkable
again this time Lane disqualified him I
think he understood he was losing the
fight and was going to lose the fight
because everything unfolded exactly is
in the first fight including a headbutt
including being muscled around he
understood that he wasn't going to win
this fight that Holyfield still had his
number there was no way for him to
prevail he landed some big punches that
did not have any effect on Hollifield
I think a feeling deep inside himself
that he was going to lose again and he
didn't want to get knocked out so this
was a an exit out of the fight without
getting knocked out I mean you don't
have to think that you're losing the
fight what the other thing is that this
guy is not falling after I'm hitting him
with my best shot and I think was the
third round that Tyson was having his
best round when he decided to beat him
in the year he was Tyson was without a
doubt he was he lack confidence to win
he knew that he could not beat this guy
he was sure that it was impossible to
beat this guy so he said you know he bit
his ear Tyson's Corner showed their
colors a melee erupted in the ring an
army of police stormed the ring to
restore order hello Haley I mean it was
the melee
from the word go not just in the ring
but in the casino afterwards the whole
place was uh is chaotic and it was a
fitting end to that whole comeback it
was very nasty there were people in the
crowd of course incensed by what they'd
seen there were fights breaking out all
over the place and I'm not surprised
that MGM have sort of turned their backs
on boxing while Holyfield was rushed to
the hospital with a towel placed over
his near severed ear to stop it from
falling off the fighter once known as
the baddest man on the planet took the
long walk from the ring back to his
dressing room Tyson and his entourage
were pelted with cups and bottles and
whatever else the outraged crowd could
find to throw at them I saw him actually
leaving the hotel property where some
guy yelled at him called him a loser
and Tyson actually tried to get out of
the car and get at the guy and he was
restrained so I mean the the level of
frustration was dialed up pretty high
and it didn't go down
I was inside the casino and freaking
people just started there was shots
fired the media had a field day pictures
of the bite were splashed across the
front pages of virtually every newspaper
in the world Tyson was condemned
ridiculed and sports writers were nearly
unanimous and declaring that he should
never be allowed to fight again
I saw what millions of people around the
world saw and I've been a boxing rider
for more than 30 years I was horrified
at what I saw
that's nothing to do with boxing that's
what happens out in the street
unfortunately and if I had my way I
would have banned Tyson the state of
Nevada Athletic Commission held the same
opinion on July 11 1997 they revoked
Tyson's license to box from rape to
revocation the greatest fighter of his
generation had become the living
breathing epitome of every requiem for a
heavyweight story ever told I'm not
digging a boxing boxing doesn't need me
but I can survive without boxing just
like boxing could fly without me
Tyson wasn't finished he knew he could
earn a living he began by turning to
wrestling I would like to announce that
Mike Tyson will be in effect the
enforcer he will be on the outside of
the ring in somewhat of a guest referee
capacity there is precedent for this if
some of you recall all the way back to
Russell mania one in Madison Square
Garden Muhammad Ali was in a similar
capacity with that in mind I believe we
have some videotape footage of Olli Mike
knows that other fighters in the history
of boxing who were on their last legs
financially how to do the same thing and
at that point in their careers it was a
very much of a blow to their their
legend
I respect what you've done in the boxing
world but would you step in this ring
you're messing with Stone Cold Steve
Austin and that's something you don't do
I think it said wrestling is not a sport
one of the great films about boxing
requiem for heavyweight ends with a with
a fighter becoming a wrestler Joe Lewis
the great great Joe Lewis ended up as a
wrestling referee to see him now at
almost age 32 involved in in wrestling
which is you know gourville burlesque
said
March 6 1998 while waiting to regain his
boxing license
Tyson broke with Don King suing King for
100 million dollars alleging the King
had cheated him out of tens of millions
of dollars over more than a decade Mike
Tyson himself over the years has said he
knew that people were robbing him he's
contributed to to that by staying with
people that he knew would Robin he
didn't understand money a lot of it was
coming in and going out and like a lot
of young people he thought it would
never end if I would have been a nice
guy and kept quiet and continued to let
people take advantage of me
I've been kept writing always he's
brilliant he's a magnificent fighter
he's such a enemy scollay talked to us
he handled us like a scholar once we
stand up and we fight for ourselves and
we've prepared to challenge anybody how
much money they have how much power they
have because it's right
while Tyson's professional life
continued to proceed in the harsh glare
of the media spotlight he quietly
married dr. Monica Turner Turner was a
regular visitor while Tyson was in
prison the couple of avoided the
limelight and have started a family one
of the questions I've been asked is
Kenny can he change I have no doubt that
he wants to change I suspect to try to
surround himself with people who will
try to help him change I don't know
whether he will really permit himself to
submit to a strong trainer and really go
back to doing what he did it when he was
young and loved it had great ambition
and then there's the other question of
whether even if he has all of that
whether it is age he can change Mike
Tyson's life has been a series of
monumental highs and devastating lows
is in many ways is the quintessential
story of modern American celebrity his
face has been splashed on magazines and
newspapers around the world as the
triumphant athlete and the disgraced
champion he's a living legend his story
a work in progress
the final acts are still being written
oh he is a victim but he's also
responsible for his own actions Don King
didn't rape Desiree Washington Don King
didn't bite Evander Holyfield's ear Don
King was a terrible influence on Tyson
and he put Tyson into an environment of
criminals and drug dealers and pimps and
ex-cons who I think brought out the
worst in Mike Tyson but Mike has to face
the responsibility for his own actions
his Tyson destined to suffer the fate of
so many fighters before him will he fade
from public view slipping silently back
into the streets from which he came I
always thought like when you're famous
right I used to watch the fighters they
always had women I thought that was the
key to always be the fancy woman had to
cause and me to be very flashy luxurious
and but then again all the fighters they
wind up broke died in furnished
apartment legendary fighters peerless
fighters which no man could match them
at their prime wined up broke died and I
mean with no money all the girls they
had left oh all the people to fade
you're the best champ I'm your friend
left them they died alone I grew up with
cousin and we never had a value for
money and I mean class always cut main
objectives I mean when I he said once
you fix it I said money to forces and
security and I mean don't put a whole
bunch of trust in it I mean it helps you
get out a lot of problems clean I mean
don't rely on it and I mean have a great
day independent you know I mean the main
objectives being your own man be
independent and we once you have a
family and you have a wife there's no
longer you your what your family come
first
regardless of the situation you
career doesn't come before you put your
family your family come first
member
Oh
you