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In his prime, Mike Tyson was one of the most celebrated athletes of all time. Through out the ’80s and ’90s, there wasn’t a professional boxer in the world who held a candle to his razor sharp precision. His trademark right hook, uppercut combo knocked out the biggest names in the sport, earning him the nickname “Iron Mike.†With the distinction of being the youngest heavyweight-boxing champion in history, he pulled in a $300 million fortune. But over the years, Tyson’s boxing career unraveled and he became better known for his antics outside of the ring.
Arrested 38 times since 1986 for everything from DUI to rape, the once-undisputed heavyweight champion of the world made fans believe he was down for the count. But after retiring from boxing in 2006, a down-and-out Tyson began to make a name for himself in Hollywood. In 2008, he was the subject of the stirring, self-titled documentary, Tyson. One year later he received praise for his comedic cameo in The Hangover (2009), and again in its sequel, The Hangover Part II (2011). He recently took on a short stint as a reality star in Animal Planet’s, Taking on Tyson (2011), which chronicled his interest in pigeon racing.
Today (April 13), the 45-year-old will return to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas for six days to take the stage at the Hollywood Theater, where he’ll star in an 80-minute, one-man show about his storied past called Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth–Live on Stage. From jail cells to the big screen, BlackEnterprise.com Decodes the prominence of the former champ from his heyday to now, examining the bouts and endorsements that made him a multi-million-dollar superstar athlete, and the reckless decisions that marred his life and stripped him of his fortune.
