Mike tyson boxer biography of donald
D'Amato had helped others to riches, but his own money always seemed to slip through his fingers, often lent to friends unable to pay him back. When he saw Tyson, he saw the kind of champion he'd almost forgotten, one who could reach the top, and actually deserve the honor. Almost as soon as Givens left Tyson's life, Don King entered. King had waited a long time.
For years, Tyson had been making mincemeat of King's stable of heavyweight champions, and it frustrated the promoter deeply that he had no piece of the champ. King's first opening came at Jim Jacob's funeral, which he attended uninvited, loudly condemning Tyson's managers for such indignities as not having a limo ready for the champ. He had also worked strenuously to bring to light the suspicions of Givens and her mother toward Bill Cayton.
And now, with Givens out of the picture, he pounced, offering Tyson the use of his farm in Ohio to recuperate from his disastrous marriage. At the same time, King began to plant doubts in Tyson's mind about all the "white men" around him, particularly his manager. Perhaps drained from his recent experiences, Tyson began to listen, and before long he was firmly in King's corner, even giving him a limited power of attorney.
Cayton could only add, "I feel very sad that Mike appears to have gone from a manipulative situation … to another, far more manipulative situation. Tyson, however, wasn't worried. He still had his millions, he still had his undefeated pro career, and he still had his title. In April,he successfully defended the latter two against England 's Frank Bruno, easily over-powering him in the fifth round.
Then, on June 27 in Atlantic Cityin what may have been his greatest night in the ring, he floored former champ Michael Spinks in all of 90 seconds. Then, on February 10,the unthinkable happened in Tokyo. James "Buster" Douglas, a underdog who couldn't even get a photographer to come to his weigh-in, came back from an eighth round knockdown to fell the champ in the tenth.
It was impossible, and at first, Don King wouldn't let it happen. But King too suffered a rare defeat, and in the face of enormous public outrage, the fight and the title were soon awarded to Buster Douglas. For Tyson, it was the beginning of the end. Not that it was obvious in the ring. Shortly after the Douglas fiasco he began his comeback, knocking out former Olympian Henry Tillman in the first round on June 16, and defeating Donovan "Razor" Ruddick twice in He was all set to take on the new heavyweight champ, Evander Holyfieldin November, The fight never happened.
While attending the Miss Black America Pageant in July, Tyson had earned a bizarre new title when a pageant organizer called him a "serial buttocks fondler," accusing him of assaulting 11 of the 23 contestants. It was easy fodder for late-night comedians. But nobody was laughing when one of those contestants, Desiree Washington, brought a much more serious charge.
According to her, Tyson had lured her to a hotel room during the contest and then raped her. He was tried and convicted, and in Marchhe was sentenced to six years in prison. It was a stunning turnaround for the champ who once seemed so unbeatable, so exciting, and of course it brought an immediate backlash. In the popular mind, Tyson was now a brutal thug who could not control his impulses, and had landed where he should have been all along.
Mike tyson boxer biography of donald: Mike Tyson is a
Before long Tyson was in trouble, accused of assaulting a guard, and placed in solitary confinement. Before long, odd stories began to leak out, that Tyson was reading up on communism. Perhaps this was a response to rumors that Don King was squandering his fortune, that Tyson might be a penniless proletarian by the end of his jail term. There were stories that he had converted to Islam.
People wondered if Tyson was a changed man. At any rate, he emerged from prison on March 25,having served only three of his six years. Mike Tyson's first stop after being released was a mosque, where he prayed with Muhammad Ali. Some speculated that it was a sign that things were changing. But one aspect remained the same. On the day he was released Don King negotiated a deal with Showtime on behalf of "his" champ.
Tyson's first post-prison bout was with Peter McNeely, who looked good on paper with a record. But the 36 victories were against habitual losers, and the loss was to McNeely's only opponent with a winning record. McNeely's manager threw in the towel 85 seconds into his match with Tyson. A broken thumb postponed his next match, but on December 16, Tyson knocked out Buster Mathis in the third round.
In March ofhe likewise dispatched Frank Bruno in the third. On September 7,he met Bruce Seldon, who was on the mat in seconds. Some fans said they did not actually see a punch, and wondered if the fight was fixed. Seldon's manager speculated that his client had actually suffered a nervous breakdown in the face of Tyson — and, in fact, Seldon has not fought another boxing match since then.
Finally, boxing fans could look forward to a long-delayed match-up, when Evander Holyfield agreed to fight Tyson in November of for the heavyweight championship. Against all odds the year-old Holyfield ended what Sports Illustrated's Richard Hoffer called Tyson's "machinery of menace," when he won a technical knockout in the eleventh round.
It was a huge upset, defying all expectations. In fact, pay-per-view channels had offered a per-round price, so customers would not blame them when Tyson felled Holyfield in the first round. Boxing officials had forced Holyfield to undergo a battery of tests, fearing he might actually lose his life. It was a stunning result, but nothing could prepare the boxing world for the shock they were about to get.
The Holyfield-Tyson rematch, held was one of the most anticipated in history. The MGM Grand sold out on the first day, all 16, tickets. Millions tuned in on pay-per-view, anticipating a spectacle. They got one. The fight was brutal from the start, with Holyfield at one point head butting Tyson in the second round. Then in the third, Tyson chomped down on Holyfield's left ear.
The referee deducted two points from Tyson, but then let the fight go on. Again the fighters met in the center, and again Tyson spat out his mouthpiece and chomped down, on Holyfield's right ear. And this time he bit a piece off, spitting it out. This time the referee called the mike tyson boxer biography of donald, disqualifying Tyson. It was bizarre.
It was savage. And for many it was the last straw. Tyson had nearly proved himself too brutal for boxing — not an easy feat. The Nevada State Commission withheld his paycheck and suspended his license. Outrage poured in from all sides, with even the White House weighing in. Tyson became constant fodder for late night comedy, and the Hollywood Wax Museum moved his image from sports to the Chamber of Horrors.
But in the end, Tyson escaped. And Tyson wasn't finished, with boxing or with outrages. In December ofhe pled no contest to a road rage incident and spent a short time in jail the following March. In the summer ofafter knocking down an opponent, Lou Savarese, he continued to pound the fighter and even lashed out at the referee. Incredibly, in the post-fight press conference, Tyson revived his cannibal image in remarks addressed to heavyweight champ Lennox Lewiswhom Tyson hoped to meet in the ring some day.
I want to eat your children," Tyson declared, adding, "I will rip out his heart and feed it to him. Then, in the runup to the actual Tyson-Lewis match, Mike Tyson seemed to blow his chances. While the Nevada State Athletic Commission was considering whether to give Tyson a license to box there, Tyson charged at Lewis during a pre-fight press conference.
Lewis' bodyguard intervened, and a brawl ensued.
Mike tyson boxer biography of donald: Mike Tyson, of Brooklyn,
Nevada turned him down for a license, but Washington, D. When the fight finally took place in June ofLennox knocked Tyson out in the eighth round. It was almost anti-climactic that the unbeatable Iron Mike had been felled again. Tyson had come a long way from the days when Cus D'Amato had dreamed of making him a legend. He had almost fulfilled those dreams, winning a world championship at the age of 19 and consolidating all of boxing's dubious crowns into one that nobody could dispute.
For awhile he seemed like the champ everyone had been waiting for. But in the end, he seemed to willfully throw it all away. Tyson continues to fight, in the face of public outrage, and maybe he will win back fans and reclaim his titles — but with every year and every comment and every altercation, it seems like that goal, if it is his goal, slips further away.
Address: Office: Santa Monica Blvd.
Mike tyson boxer biography of donald: Donald King (born August 20, )
Boyle, Robert. Hoffer, Richard. Loverro, Thom. Winters, Robert " Tyson, Mike. Winters, Robert "Tyson, Mike. In Mike Tyson became the youngest boxer ever to win a world heavyweight championship title. Dubbed "Iron Mike" by the press because his physique made him seem invincible, he was hailed as the long-awaited successor to Muhammad Ali.
He was later demonized in the same media after a series of personal and legal problems made headlines. Though he was considered one of boxing's most promising talents, mastering the fortune and fame that came with success proved to be Tyson's toughest challenge in life.
Mike tyson boxer biography of donald: Michael Gerard Tyson (born June
He knew who his father was but had little contact with him. By fifth grade, the future icon was a habitual truant and could barely read. He was also large and powerful for his age and became known for being able to knock down full-fledged teenagers in street fights. He fell into a bad crowd and compiled a lengthy juvenile record for armed robbery and other transgressions.
He indulged in petty thefts and fighting. His high voice and lisp were a frequent catalyst to engage in fisticuffs on the street, which he did often. By the time he was 13, he had been arrested more than three dozen times. He was reprimanded to the custody of a juvenile detention center in Johnstown, N. He and Mike have remained in contact with one another, although their visits are infrequent.
He was also the National Golden Gloves Champion, although he did lose two amateur bouts to Henry Tillman, who eventually won the gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Related boxers Larry Holmes boxer. Brian Nielsen boxer. Tony Tucker boxer. Orlin Norris boxer. Danny Williams boxer. Trevor Berbick boxer. Young Stribling boxer.
Sam Langford boxer. Peter Maher boxer. Buddy Knox boxer. Buddy Scott boxer. In earlyChris Byrd sued Don King for breach of contract, and the two eventually settled out of court under the condition that Byrd would be released from his contract with King. King acted in a small role as more or less himself in The Last Fight and in the comedy Head Office He also had another brief cameo as himself in the film The Devil's Advocate He also appeared in a season 4 episode of Knight Ridertitled "Redemption of a Champion".
King made an appearance in the documentaries Beyond the Ropes [ 64 ] and Klitschko Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item. American boxing promoter born This article is about the boxing promoter. For other people, see Don King disambiguation.
King speaking at FreedomFest in July ClevelandOhioU. Early life [ edit ]. Bookmaking and killings [ edit ]. Career [ edit ]. This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. October Personal life [ edit ]. Lawsuits and prosecutions [ edit ]. Media appearances [ edit ]. Media portrayals [ edit ]. As a character [ edit ].
Characters based on King [ edit ]. Awards and honors [ edit ]. References [ edit ]. Retrieved July 28, Sportscasting Pure Sports. Retrieved April 3, A Cleveland street where Don King killed someone might get renamed after him". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 28, ESPN Classic. Retrieved May 3, Accessed May 29, CBC Sports. The New York Times.
September 28, Archived from the original on March 12, University of Arkansas Press. ISBN January 31, Injustice for All: "Mapp vs. Ohio and the Fourth Amendment. Peter Lang Publishing Inc. Dark Trade: Lost in Boxing. The Independent. March 8, October 15,