The life story of Boxing champion Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson “Iron Man” is widely regard as one of the greatest boxers of all time. But he is best know for his life outside the ring…
01
Tyson’s life did not start out in a prominent way. His father abandoned the family when he was 2 years old. Mike Tyson jumped from one rugged place to another. It is understand that before he was 13 years old, he had been arrest more than 30 times for theft and fighting.
When Mike Tyson was 16, his mother died and he had to take care of himself until he met his mentor, Cus D’Amato. D’Amato became Tyson’s adoptive father and legal guardian and began to train Tyson to become an excellent boxer.
Later, Mike Tyson became famous and soon became the most successful fighter in professional boxing. Later, he was call “the worst man in the world.”
Tyson once kept a tiger as a pet, bit off a piece of his opponent’s ear during a fight, and loved to spend money on a spree, which he called a “morbid” lifestyle. All of this eventually earned Tyson a reputation that he had to endure for the rest of his life.
02
Tyson was born in the slums of Brooklyn , New York, USA . His father is Jimmy Kirk Patrick and his mother is Lorna Mae Smith . Tyson struggled as a child because his father left the family too early and his mother supported him alone.
When recalling his childhood, Tyson said: “From the age of 9, I would definitely have 3-4 fights every day. By the age of 12, my weight had grown to 200 pounds. I fought with those kids, and then I fought with their parents. Those kids would go home to find their parents after being beaten and crying, and I would duel with their parents.”
After Tyson’s mother died, he kept getting into trouble until he met D’Amato. Fortunately, it was D’Amato who saved him in the end.
D’Amato was once an amateur boxer. But his career was ruine by injuries. So he became a coach and opened his own boxing gym at the age of 22. He also became a manager. Tyson admitted that D’Amato was the only person he really fear. But it was probably more respect than fear.
Before formally training to become a boxer, Tyson was actually afraid of confrontation. However, when someone tore his favorite pet pigeon into pieces, Tyson was no longer timid, but instead completely released the demon hidden in his heart.
Mike Tyson said: “I was a little fat boy at that time. There were always people who were looking for trouble with me. When I was bullied, I would comfort myself that it was God’s arrangement. I was just too scare and didn’t know what to do. When a guy tore my pigeons, I decided to fight back. My first fight was all because of pigeons.”
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D’Amato passed away when Tyson was 19 years old. At that time, Tyson had already become a first-line boxer. He easily won 19 knockout victories, 12 of which were resolved in one round. In the end, Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in history, at the age of 20 years, 4 months and 22 days.
The dark side of Tyson’s life was naturally in 1992, when he was in the prison for well-know reasons and was not release until 1995. However, the golden time of his sports career was wast.
Tyson returned to the boxing arena, but despite some success, it was no longer comparable to his peak years. In 2005, Tyson officially retired from boxing. Throughout his career, he earned a total of $500 million, but squandered it all in 15 years.
Tyson said that he had worked hard in the arena for 20 years and earned $500 million, but let the money disappear like water. Tyson revealed that his last money, $1 million, was spent on rehabilitation treatment.
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How much is Mike Tyson’s net worth now? As his life slowly gets back on track, he seems to be more and more like a “pure man”. According to the Wall Street Journal , as of December 2022, Tyson’s net worth has reached $10 million, which is quite considerable.
Tyson said: “When you make that much money, it lasts a long time and doesn’t disappear immediately. However, after 15 or 16 years, you may be broke. I spent my last money in rehab, about $1 million, and fortunately I once had a house in Phoenix. The house was difficult to sell, but I finally got $2 million. Someone liked it. This is God’s work.”
Tyson revealed that his mental health problems can be trace back to the 1980s, when he was at the peak of his career.