Fame, money, prison, scandals, rape… Mike Tyson

Tyson’s career spanned 20 years, and in the ring he was intimidating, fierce and had a style that was drastically different from other heavyweights. He was a distinctly offensive style boxer with a very powerful punch, which was Tyson’s main trump card.

Tyson became the first heavyweight to hold the WBC, WBA and IBF titles at the same time. He won the prestigious WBC title when he was only 20 years, four months and 22 days old.

Tyson didn’t have an easy childhood, and this may have prompted him to take up martial arts in order to defend himself and command respect. He had problems with his vision, which required him to wear glasses. I was also overweight, and at school I was bullied for these things.

He grew up in Brooklyn, which was not a good neighborhood at the time. Got into local criminal gangs and regularly broke the law. By the age of 13, Tyson had been arrested 38 times. At Tryon School, he was spotted by after-school principal Bobby Stewart, who was also a boxer. Later, Tyson fell into the hands of Casa d’Amato, who saw the potential of the champion in Mike from the first sparring.