mike tyson full biography

mike tyson full biography

Michael Gerard Tyson, (born June 30, 1966 )

is a former American World Heavyweight boxing Champion. Tyson was the youngest man to have won a heavyweight title belt. During his prime in the late 1980s and early 1990s Tyson was one of the most recognizable athletes in the world. Nicknamed "Iron Mike Tyson", "Kid Dynamite", and "The Baddest Man on the Planet"

, Tyson adopted the Muslim name "Malik Abdul Aziz" after his conversion to Islam while in prison for his rape conviction. For his behavior both in and out of the ring, ESPN has ranked Tyson as the #1 Most Outrageous Character in modern sports history by both experts panel selection and internet poll. Trained by Hall of Fame trainer Cus D'Amato early in his career, Tyson unified the belts in the splintered heavyweight division in the late 1980s and won many of his fights by knockout. Tyson knocked out his first 19 professional opponents inside of 6 rounds, stopping 12 of them in the first round. He reigned as undisputed heavyweight champion for over two years before losing in a shocking upset to Buster Douglas in 1990. He was convicted of raping a beauty pageant contestant in 1992, and after being released from prison in 1995, he engaged in a series of comeback fights before losing in another upset, this time to Evander Holyfield. In 1997, his rematch with Holyfield ended when Tyson bit off a portion of Holyfield's ear in retaliation for what he perceived as purposeful headbutts. He fought for a championship again at the age of 35, losing by knockout to Lennox Lewis in 2002. After losing two consecutive bouts to journeymen, Tyson retired from competitive boxing in 2005. He has since engaged in a series of exhibition bouts in a tour across the US to pay off his numerous debts; despite making over US$30 million in several fights and $300 million in his career, Tyson declared bankruptcy in 2003.

Marriage and children
Tyson has been legally married twice and has had children with several different women. His first marriage was to actress Robin Givens from February 7, 1988 - February 14, 1989. Tyson's marriage to Givens was especially tumultuous with allegations of violence, spousal abuse and mental instability. Matters came to a head when Tyson and Givens gave a joint interview with Barbara Walters on the ABC TV newsmagazine show 20/20 in September 1988, in which Givens described life with Tyson as, "torture, pure hell, worse than anything I could possibly imagine." Givens also described Tyson as "manic depressive" on national television while Tyson looked intently and calmly on. A month later in October, Givens announced that she was seeking a divorce from Tyson. Tyson's marriage to Givens did not result in any children.

His second marriage was to Monica Turner from April 19, 1997 – January 14, 2003. At the time of the divorce filing, Turner worked as a pediatric resident at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington DC. She is also the sister of Michael Steele, the former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland. Turner filed for divorce from Tyson in January 2002, claiming that he committed adultery during their five-year marriage, an act that "has neither been forgiven nor condoned."

Tyson has 7 children: Gena, Mikey, D'Amato, Rayna, Amir, Miguel, and Exodus. Rayna (born February 14, 1996) and Amir (August 5, 1997) are from his second marriage to Turner.


In popular culture
Main article: Mike Tyson in popular culture
At the height of his fame and career in the late 80s and throughout the 90s, Tyson was one of the most recognized sports personalities in the world. Apart from his many sporting accomplishments, his numerous outrageous and controversial behavior both in the boxing ring and in his private life has kept him constantly in the public eye. As such, Tyson has appeared in myriad popular media in either cameo appearances or as a subject of parody or satire.


Legacy
Although Tyson was considered a formidable champion during his prime, he lacked discipline and self control in and out of the ring, leading to personal problems and extended periods of imprisonment. After being released from prison in 1995, Tyson failed to reclaim his previous dominance during his heavily anticipated comeback. Tyson's greatest impact upon the boxing world was as a fighter during the 1980s, as the latter part of his career was overshadowed by controversy even though he eventually regained 2 title belts. A 1998 ranking of "The Greatest Heavyweights of All-Time" by Ring magazine placed Tyson at #14 on the list.