The sports stars that stand out today, in practically any discipline, are usually impeccable, elegant people with a perfect reputation. Athletes have a lot of power of influence over the general public and especially over the little ones, who see them as idols. Society is responsible for reminding them that they are examples to follow, and that they must have a good attitude at all times, both on and off the pitch. The sponsors are also very aware of the behavior of these athletes, and have come to settle large million-dollar contracts with them for faults of all kinds. From convictions for assaults to simply appearing drunk at an event. Today, the image we project is more important than ever, and for these stars who earn millions of dollars a year, that image has to be perfect. But it hasn’t always been that way. There are still athletes today who become loose verses, and are not tied to political correctness. Listening to Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Swedish striker, is always a delight, because you know that he is going to go beyond the usual speech of a player.
He is charismatic and has an overwhelming personality that nobody has been able to tame, in the time he has been on the pitch. The same thing happens with some NBA players, like Lebron James or Lamar Odon. Also with tennis players like Kyrgos or Djokovic strong>. They go beyond the lines marked by official speeches, thanks also to the fact that their talent is undeniable. This has cost them sponsors and surely millionaire contracts, since brands today flee from controversy at all costs. However, no case would be as controversial as that of the boxer Mike Tyson, who after years of retirement and having done everything in his sport, continues to be talked about. Tyson is a unique person, and that was already evident when he started boxing, when he was just a kid. His career is like a movie, and it is not surprising that a series has recently been released where a good part of his life is treated, with a vision, yes, quite controversial.
Its rough beginnings
Michael Tyson was born in New York in 1966, and throughout his childhood he had to constantly move to small apartments in the city with his mother and siblings. Lorna, their parent, raised her children alone, working suffocating shifts to give them an opportunity to study and train. Mike was not very good at studies, and he was also a bit overweight, so he was bullied at school.
Everything changed the day he decided to stop running away and face his aggressors. He discovered an internal rage that he didn’t know he had, and that he would later channel into his fights. At just 13 years old, the boy hit the growth spurt and became a strong teenager, although still hesitant. He regularly stole to indulge his whims and began to flirt with drugs. It was then that boxing appeared to save his life.
World champion at just 20 years old
After entering a reform school, Mike met a young man who boxed, and asked him to teach him. Shortly after, when leaving the center, he began to practice in a gym near his home with his first coach, Cus D’Amato, who would even legally adopt him. Under D’Amato, Tyson trained physically and mentally to become a professional boxer. In a few months he was already fighting against boys much older than him, and winning all the fights. In 1986 he became the youngest heavyweight world champion, at just over 20 years old. He had been a professional since he was 18 and had almost represented the United States in the 1984 Olympics. His figure was already beginning to attract a lot of attention among the press and fans, because it was clear that Mike was different.
Not that he was the first black kid to go this far, because you only had to think of Muhamed Ali, but Tyson had a totally different style. He was a machine of strength and brutality, he had an animal instinct that was unstoppable for his rivals, and he used to win his fights by KO during the first or at most the second round. He was going for it all, and became the greatest boxer of his generation. At the end of the 80s, Tyson was already one of the most recognized stars in sports, with million-dollar contracts with big brands and all the money he wanted. He went to parties, he enjoyed a life of fun and partying, but he always kept his focus on sports, because it was the only thing he knew how to do.
Money, women, porn and aggression
That double life began to play tricks on him already in the late 1980s. He married the actress Robin Givens, whom he divorced shortly after, as the relationship was unsustainable. He was cheating on her with other women, something Tyson never denied, and he was also under the influence of his managers, who assured him that this girl only wanted his money. His constant parties made him gain weight, and he also stopped training as regularly. That ended up taking him away from the title, losing it in 1990 to Douglas. That also marked the beginning of his fall from grace. Two years later he would be accused of rape and assault by a young model, Desiree Washington. The trial generated a lot of media commotion and finally, the jury found Tyson guilty and sentenced him to six years in prison, of which he only served three for good behavior.
With his image already totally touched and his sports aspirations on the ground, Tyson remarried, had three children and regained the heavyweight title on his return in 1997. It was a mirage. The parties were continuous and his emotional stability hung by a thread. That was demonstrated in his rematch against Evander Holyfield, in one of his most remembered controversies, when Tyson bit off a piece of his rival’s ear. That situation led him to be sanctioned with twelve months without being able to fight. His public controversies were constant, and he even flirted with the idea of recording a porn video, after an offer from a major production company. Drugs were still part of his life, and tragedies too. He lost one of his children when he was only four years old, his sister and his mother… Tyson ended up retiring after years of wandering the rings just for money.
An indomitable legend
Tyson has managed to become an icon of popular culture, beyond his controversies or precisely because of them. The New York boxer has appeared on the covers of the main magazines, and also in numerous films of all kinds, as well as in video games, television series… Converted to Islamism for a long time years, Tyson claims to lead a much quieter life now, although every two or three we find news about an incident in public. Fights, arrests for driving under the influence of drugs… The boxer has finally embraced the character and now lives off of it, earning money with his personal brand after going bankrupt. He came to collect more than 50 million for some fights, but his vital situation has led him to a spiral of chaos and lack of control that is difficult to salvage. Even so, on his way to sixty, Tyson continues to give a lot to talk about.