Blog Posted on 23/03/2018 | Author: Karen Macarthur
10 Things You Didn’t Know About Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson is an American professional boxer who is the first boxer in the heavyweight category who has earned the WBA, WBC and IBF titles. Mike has been in the news for many things other than boxing. His life has been full of ups and downs. He managed to get out of the ghetto, won a championship at a very young age, lost all the wealth he earned, lost a child, suffered from addictions and got a facial tattoo.
Here are some facts you didn’t know about Mike Tyson.
1 Love for tigers
After gaining name, fame and money, Tyson chose to spend exorbitant amounts on cats. He was known to own several Bengal tigers. But in 2002, due to a lot of loss, he was forced to sell all of his tigers. Apparently, it takes about £3000 a month to feed a tiger.
2 Arrested 38 times before reaching 13
He grew up in a sketchy neighbourhood. He has been bullied all his childhood. To avoid this, he took to street fighting which is a criminal offence. As such, he was arrested 38 times before he turned 13.
3 Love for pigeons
Everyone who knows Tyson well knows that he loves birds, especially pigeons. As a child, he was outcast and could not gel with the people around him. Therefore, he found solace in the company of birds. According to him, he felt he was good enough for the pigeons.
4 Drederick Tatum
Drederick Tatum is a character in The Simpsons who is a boxer from Springfield. He is known for his huge body and his violent outbursts. This character is a direct parody of Mike Tyson. In the show, Drederick has given up boxing.
5 Video game Tyson
Tyson’s image was used as a character in the game Nintendo. Children from the 80’s enjoyed playing the Mike Tyson’s punch out. This was before he became a successful heavyweight boxer. He signed a mere $50,000 contract for a period of three years.
6 Awarded an honorary doctorate
The Central State University of Ohio is a tough school to get into. However, in 1989, Tyson was given an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters Degree from this university. He was deemed fit for the degree by the university president.
7 Corrupt manager
Don King was a bad influence on Mike. He flushed so much money out of Tyson for his personal use. He also put his family on fraud jobs to extort money from him. His daughter ran a fan club for Mike which he was completely unaware of.
8 Married three times
Tyson has been married three times, first to Robin Givens, then to Monica Turner and later to Lakiha Spicer. The last marriage saved him. He has 8 children from his 3 marriages.
9 Disappointed he never killed
Boxing is a very intense game. In spite of strict rules and regulations, there have been several extreme incidents. Mike was known to be very aggressive and said in an interview that he was disappointed he never killed anyone and was even jealous of other boxers who did.
10 The ear bite
In the year 1997, he bit Evander Holyfield’s ear in a heavyweight championship. He was disqualified, and Evander won the game.
Throw your hat in the ring and play the Mike Tyson Roulette Game
In honour of the great boxer, Inspired Gaming has created the Mike Tyson Roulette Game. The game is based on the table Roulette. You can bet from £1 to £100. The rules are simple, and the game can be learnt easily, especially if you have played Roulette. The only difference is that this Roulette wheel will also have a ‘Mike Tyson’ section to it. A knockout bonus is up for grabs if the spin lands on this section.
