This article references sexual assault.
Netflix's second installment of Countdown: Paul vs. Tysonwhich prefaces the pair's highly anticipated boxing match on November 15, examines both camps of boxers as they prepare to fight. The competition caught the public's attention, pitting Tyson against Paul, a 58-year-old sports legend, against a 27-year-old YouTuber. who entered the boxing arena after conquering social media. Boxing Hall of Famer and subsequent actor Tyson is a former world heavyweight champion with a legitimate claim to having been the sport's most visible and controversial figure of the past 30 years.
Many boxing experts also consider him one of the best in the sport. Tyson had a 20-year professional career between 1985 and 2005, scoring 19 knockout victories in his first 19 professional fights.before becoming the sport's youngest world heavyweight champion at age 21 when he defeated Trevor Berbick in Las Vegas in 1986. Tyson defended the title nine times, looking unbeatable, before losing to James"Buster" Douglas in Tokyo in February 1990, in what many consider boxing's greatest upset of all time. However, 34 years later, the fight between Tyson and Paul promises a new and surprising chapter in his career.
Why Mike Tyson retired from boxing in 2005
Tyson's career fell apart after the loss of Douglas
Tyson's loss to Douglas signaled a spectacular fall from grace, both inside and outside the ring. Before the fight against Douglas, the multimillionaire's private life was out of control; his stormy marriage to actress Robin Givens was rarely out of the headlines, and he split from longtime trainer and confidant Kevin Rooneyhis only connection with the man who adopted him as a teenager and guided his professional career, Cus D'Amato. D'Amato's death in 1985 hit Tyson hard, and he was ill-equipped for the fame, fortune and public scrutiny that inevitably surrounds a world heavyweight champion.
A highly publicized 1992 rape conviction followed, which saw Tyson sentenced to six years in prison, gaining parole after three years incarcerated at the Indiana Juvenile Center. Despite having regained the world title in 1997, a the much diminished Tyson surrendered his legacy and reputation in two defeats to Evander Holyfieldthe second by disqualification for biting his opponent's ear in 1997. Tyson continued fighting for money, with his drawing power intact, but in 2005, after an embarrassing defeat to journeyman Kevin McBride, he abandoned the sport.
Mike Tyson's decision to come out of retirement to fight Jake Paul explained
Tyson's post-boxing activities were varied
The McBride fight seemed to have ended Mike Tyson's fighting ambitions: "I felt like I was 120 years old. I don't think I have any more" he said The New York Times after the fight. He retreated to an upscale enclave, Paradise Valley, near Phoenix, Arizona, to spend time with his 350 prize pigeons, a lifelong obsession. There remained several brushes with the law, a much-publicized declaration of bankruptcy in 2003, with debts of more than US$20 million.and many visits to rehabilitation centers to try to overcome problems with depression, drug and alcohol dependence.
In 2013 he published his autobiography, Indisputable truthin which he gave an honest and unexpurgated account of his life and problems. The book inaugurated a new relationship between Tyson and his audience and led to an international audience Undisputed truth tour, in which a visibly overweight Tyson surprised and stood out on stage as he recounted his life experiences and mistakes. Close to 50 years old, out of shape and with some stability in his private life, a return to the ring seemed highly unlikely.
While there are undoubtedly many factors behind Tyson's decision to fight Paul, the former champion has been quite candid when it comes to his motivation. He rejected claims that this was a purely financial measure. When commentating at a Cage Wars MMA event (via The Daily Mirror), Tyson described such accusations as "Bull****", adding:
"I'm a man; I want to go out there and I want to take risks. Sometimes I want to see who I really am. I want to see what I'm really made of. I want to perform in front of the world. For me, that's all I've known how to do since I'm 14. This fight isn't going to change my life enough financially.
This suggests there is more to Tyson's decision than the financial implications.
Mike Tyson also had an exhibition match against Roy Jones Jr.
Tyson and Jones boxed for eight rounds
In 2020, a newly energized Tyson, slimmed down and with his demons seemingly under control, announced an exhibition fight with boxing legend Roy Jones Jnr, then 51, and himself a former multi-weight world champion. Tyson's share of the purse was rumored to exceed $10 million and, although some experts had conjectured that the two aging boxers might not be able to curb their natural instincts, they actually tiptoed through eight rounds of somewhat insipid action, after which three judges awarded a draw. Tyson later announced that he would like to fight more exhibition fights.
...the former champion is seen training hard and appears to have regained some of his trademark threat.
In Countdown: Paul x Tyson, the former champion is seen training hard and appears to have regained some of his trademark menace. He is shown attacking his padded trainers and heavy bags, looking fit and fabulous against a static opponent it doesn't fight back. The documentary series, of course, downplays the recurring sciatica that left him wheelchair-bound, causing the fight to be postponed last June, or the ulcers he suffers from, or the general physical dissipation that accompanies middle age. This fight between Paul and Tyson is not an exhibition, and real punches will be thrown.
SOURCE: The New York Times, The Daily Mirror