What happened to Mike Tyson and where is the boxing legend now?
MIKE TYSON took the boxing world by storm when he burst onto the scene at just 18 years old, earning nicknames such as ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ and ‘Iron Mike’.
The sports superstar became known for his explosive style and lethal punch during his decades-long career and is now set to take on social media star Jake Paul in a shock return to the ring.
What happened to boxing legend Mike Tyson?
Tyson has had a boxing career that still stands out as one of the best in the sport to this day.
He holds the record as the youngest world boxing champion, having won his title at the age of 20.
When he made his professional debut in 1985 Tyson quickly cemented himself a reputation as a knockout specialist.
He became WBC world champion in 1986, a year after his trainer Cus D’Amato had died of pneumonia at the age of 77.
Tyson soon added the WBA and IBF titles to his WBC crown, making him the undisputed champion of the world.
In 1990 he suffered his first defeat when he lost to James “Buster” Douglas in Tokyo.
His boxing career was then put on hold in 1991 when he was sentenced to six years in prison for a sexual assault.
When he returned to the ring in 1996 Tyson won the WBC and WBA titles with wins over Frank Bruno and Bruce Seldon.
The two-time heavyweight champion lost successive fights to Evander Holyfield in 1996 and 1997 before a crushing defeat to Lennox Lewis in 2002.
Two further back-to-back defeats against Danny Williams and Kevin McBride led to Tyson calling time on his boxing career in 2005.
He retired with a record of 50 wins, 44 by knockout, and 6 losses.
The star went on to feature in Hollywood films The Hangover and The Hangover Part 2 alongside Bradley Cooper and Zach Galifianakis.
Tyson is father to six children and has been married three times.
He welcomed his first child, Mikey Lorna Tyson, with Kimberly Scarborough in 1990.
He then had his second and third children, Rayna and Amir Tyson, with his second wife in 1996 and 1997, respectively.
Tyson’s fourth and fifth children, Miguel and Exodus Tyson, were born to Sol Xochitl in 2002 and 2005.
Exodus sadly passed away in 2009 at the age of four.
Milan and Morocco Tyson were then born in 2008 and 2011.
Former world champion Tyson married Robin Givens in 1988 but they split in 1989 and he went on to marry second wife Monica Turner from 1997 to 2003.
Tyson has been married to Lakiha Spicer since 2009.
Where is Mike Tyson now?
In March 2024 Tyson announced his return to the boxing ring.
The star will take on celebrity boxer and influencer Jake Paul for a summer showdown that will be aired live on Netflix.
Tyson said of the bout: “I’m very much looking forward to stepping into the ring with Jake Paul at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
“He’s grown significantly as a boxer over the years, so it will be a lot of fun to see what the will and ambition of a ‘kid’ can do with the experience and aptitude of a GOAT.
“It’s a full circle moment that will be beyond thrilling to watch; as I started him on his boxing journey on the undercard of my fight with Roy Jones and now I plan to finish him.”
The date for the fight has been set for Saturday, July 20, 2024.
Aside from taking on Paul, Tyson has had a number of business ventures over the years.
He has featured in TV shows and films – often in cameo roles – and has also starred in biographic films about his career.
He also went on a tour called Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth – where he told his life story on stage – and set up his own boxing promotions company called Iron Mike Productions in 2013.
After the drug was legalised in California in 2016 Tyson opened his cannabis empire Tyson Ranch.
I was doing a lot of foolish things like, ‘Hey baby, do you like that car? Okay, come and spend the weekend with me,’ pure crazy stuff you can do with your money.
Mike Tyson on his past spending
The multi-million dollar cannabis business offers customers premium marijuana strains, edibles and extracts.
The former boxer has ventured into the podcast business with his show Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson.
He also acts as an angel investor to a number of companies.
In March 2023 the star expanded his business empire by opening a coffee shop in Amsterdam called Tyson 2.0.
What is Mike Tyson’s net worth?
Tyson is reported to have a net worth of around £8million as of March 2024.
It is thought that he amassed over $300million (approx. £233,000) throughout his boxing career but ended up losing much of it to overspending.
Forbes magazine claims Tyson’s total career earnings could even have been as high as $685million.
During a 2023 appearance on The Pivot podcast Tyson said of his past financial woes: “When you’re making that much money, it lasts you a long time.
“The money didn’t run out right away, it took like 15 or 16 years for me to go broke.
“I was doing a lot of foolish things like, ‘Hey baby, do you like that car? Okay, come and spend the weekend with me,’ pure crazy stuff you can do with your money.”
He added: “I spent my last money I had for rehab, about a million dollars.
“I had enough money left, about $2million, and I bought a house in Phoenix.
“The house was a hard sell, but someone loved it and boom, I got the money. This is God at work.”