Mike Tyson grew up in crime-infested neighborhoods of New York City. When he was 10 years old, his family moved to Brownsville where he lived with his siblings and mother. Although Tyson never knew his biological father, he often witnessed the abuse of his mother by her live-in boyfriend. While growing up on the streets of New York, Tyson became involved in various criminal activities, including picking pockets, mugging people, and robbing stores at gunpoint. Tyson was adjudicated a juvenile delinquent, which means he would have been found guilty of a felony if he was 16 years or older. Tyson was placed at the Spofford Juvenile Detention Center in the Bronx. After additional behavioral problems, Tyson was transferred to the Tryon School for Boys in upstate New York.
While Tyson was at Tryon, Muhammad Ali visited the center, and Tyson became interested in the attention given to Ali. Shortly thereafter, Tyson was introduced to Bobby Stewart, Tryon's boxing instructor. Tyson saw boxing as his first opportunity at being accepted outside criminal activity, and his behavior began to change in order to earn Stewart's respect and boxing instructions. Stewart quickly introduced Tyson to boxing legend Cus D'Amato who took an interest in the young Tyson due to his unusual twelve-year-old physical stature of 5'8" and 190 pounds. In 1980, Tyson was allowed to move in with D'Amato in Catskill, New York, and he began constant training as a boxer. D'Amato not only became Tyson's trainer but also his legal guardian. For the first time in his life, Tyson was given support and encouragement. but D'Amato never saw Tyson's success. Eight months into Tyson's professional career, D'Amato died of pneumonia.
In 1986, at the age of 20, Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion ever by winning the belt with a second round knockout of Trevor Berbick. In 1988, Tyson won another championship belt plus $15 million for a 91-second knockout of Michael Spinks. Tyson obtained instant wealth and fame for his discipline inside the boxing ring. Ironically, his lack of self-control outside of the ring eventually became a problem.
In 1992, a prosecution team led by Gregory Garrison convicted Tyson of raping Desiree Washington, who was a contestant in the Miss Black America pageant in July 1991. Tyson had met Washington in Indianapolis at the pageant and invited her to his hotel room where he forced sexual intercourse on her. Tyson was sentenced to six years in prison on one count of rape and two counts of criminal deviant conduct. The conviction was not without prior warning signals. His pending divorce to actress Robin Givens was tainted by a series of domestic abuse incidents. He was accused of assaulting Erinn Cosby, daughter of actor/comedian Bill Cosby, which ended when one of Tyson's female employees knocked on the door of the room where the assault was taking place.
At the time of the conviction and subsequent sentencing, Tyson was in training to fight Evander Holyfield. Instead, he would became an inmate at the Indiana Youth Center for the next three years. In March 1995, Tyson was released from prison and put on probation by Indiana officials. Tyson left prison as a converted Muslim, and he soon earned more money than any other American athlete. Tyson earned more than $75 million in 1996 alone. In his climb back into heavyweight contention, Tyson eventually fought Holyfield, a fight that was supposed to take place four years earlier.
Holyfield and Tyson met at the training center for the 1984 Olympics and became friends. On November 9, 1996, they met in the ring in Las Vegas for the first time as professional fighters. In a surprising upset, Holyfield dominated the fight with a stunning 11th round technical knockout. Seven months later their rematch produced a disgraceful ending, Tyson's second loss to Holyfield and the third loss of his professional career. Upset at being headbutted by Holyfield during the fight, Tyson bit off a piece of Holyfield's ear, resulting in the Nevada Athletic Commission's eventual dismissal his license to fight in the United States. A psychiatric exam concluded that Tyson lacked self-esteem and was depressed to the point that he had been taking antidepressants. Tyson told psychiatrists, "I have no self-esteem, but the biggest ego in the world." A year later, the commission reinstated Tyson's license, and he returned to boxing as a heavyweight contender.
Recent Updates
August 2003: It is reported that Tyson filed for Chapter 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy court after spending close to $300 million. Source: E! Online, www.eonline.com, August 4, 2003.
October 2004: Tyson won court approval of a plan to exit bankruptcy and repay creditors about $37 million. Source:Dallas Morning News, October 5, 2004, p. 10C.
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