On August 25, 2022, Hulu released a biographical drama limited series about Tyson, entitled Mike, depicting his life and career. On August 6, 2022, Tyson spoke out about the series, saying, “Hulu stole my story” and telling the service that “I’m not a n****r you can sell on the auction block.”
Procrastination is more than just a delay—it’s a barrier between you and your highest potential, between you and the life you deserve. The inability to act due to lack of structure, indecision, unclear life goals, and uncertainty about the future is silently eroding your wealth and well-being. – Joel Brown
Paul redirected his energy to facing boxers with more experience, after suffering a decision loss to Tommy Fury in 2023, with the goal of being ranked by a sanctioning body and eventually challenging for a world championship. He followed the traditional titan weight boxing division track for two bouts — knockout wins over journeymen Andre August and Ryan Bourland — before he pivoted back to a fight against Tyson.
Tyson continues to be a relevant pop culture in and out of the ring. Mike has appeared as himself in dozens of movies and television shows over the years, perhaps most memorably in “The Hangover” and “The Hangover II.” He also continues to participate in exhibition fights. On March 7, 2024, it was announced that Mike would fight Jake Paul in July 2024. The bout will be streamed live on Netflix.
Flying pigeons was a big sport in Brooklyn. Everyone from Mafia dons to little ghetto kids did it. It’s unexplainable; it just gets in your blood. I learned how to handle them, learned the characteristics of them. Then it became something that I became somewhat of a master of, and I took pride in being so good at it. Everybody would let their pigeons fly at the same time, and the name of the game was to try and catch the other guys’ pigeons. It was like racing horses. Once it’s in your blood, you never stop. Wherever I lived from that day on, I always built me a coop and had pigeons.
Raised as a Catholic, Tyson has stated that he converted to Islam before entering prison and that he made no efforts to correct what was reported in the media, although it was falsely reported that he converted to Islam during his time in prison and adopted the Muslim name Malik Abdul Aziz; some sources report it as Malik Shabazz. Tyson never changed his given name to an Islamic one, despite the rumors.
Tyson has stayed in the limelight by promoting various websites and companies. In the past Tyson had shunned endorsements, accusing other athletes of putting on a false front to obtain them. Tyson has held entertainment boxing shows at a casino in Las Vegas and started a tour of exhibition bouts to pay off his numerous debts.
Rund einen Monat nach seinem enttäuschenden Ringauftritt musste sich Tyson wegen der Vorwürfe der Körperverletzung vom August des vorangegangenen Jahres vor Gericht verantworten; am 5. Februar wurde er zu einer einjährigen Haftstrafe verurteilt, die er im Gefängnis von Montgomery County im US-Bundesstaat Maryland antrat. Schon nach knapp vier Monaten durfte Tyson auf Anordnung des Bewährungsausschusses das Gefängnis wieder verlassen, wurde aber unter Hausarrest samt psychologischer Betreuung gestellt.
On September 24, 2007, Tyson pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine and driving under the influence. He was convicted of these charges in November 2007 and sentenced to 24 hours in jail. After his release, he was ordered to serve three years’ probation and complete 360 hours of community service. Prosecutors had requested a year-long jail sentence, but the judge praised Tyson for seeking help with his drug problems. On November 11, 2009, Tyson was arrested after getting into a scuffle at Los Angeles International airport with a photographer. No charges were filed.
On June 27, 1988, Tyson faced Michael Spinks. Spinks, who had taken the heavyweight championship from Larry Holmes via fifteen-round decision in 1985, had not lost his title in the ring but was not recognized as champion by the major boxing organizations. Holmes had previously given up all but the IBF title, and that was eventually stripped from Spinks after he elected to fight Gerry Cooney (winning by TKO in the fifth round) rather than IBF Number 1 Contender Tony Tucker, as the Cooney fight provided him a larger purse. However, Spinks did become the lineal champion by beating Holmes and many (including Ring magazine) considered him to have a legitimate claim to being the true heavyweight champion. The bout was, at the time, the richest fight in history and expectations were very high. Boxing pundits were predicting a titanic battle of styles, with Tyson’s aggressive infighting conflicting with Spinks’s skillful out-boxing and footwork. The fight ended after 91 seconds when Tyson knocked Spinks out in the first round; many consider this to be the pinnacle of Tyson’s fame and boxing ability.
Mike Tyson is one of the most successful boxers ever to step foot inside the boxing ring. The former heavyweight champion dominated his respective division during his era. His ferocity and unmatched boxing intelligence established him as one of the most feared boxers of all time. But, even though he had lustrous successes in boxing, his life was never free from ups and downs. Coming from a childhood of hardships and destitution, Tyson defied many odds to be successful. It is safe to say that the 56-year-old has experienced the highest and lowest of lows throughout his career and personal life until now.