For most people, telling their story in film or on television requires plenty of embellishment to make it interesting enough to put on screen. Not so for Mike Tyson. As he lived it, box the former boxing champion’s life is almost too wild to be believed.
His early years were spent in a high crime neighborhood where bone crushing fights were a common occurrence. Since death was always around the corner and self-defense as necessary as bread and butter, Mike was inducted into the art of fighting at a very early age.
The 28-year-old Tyson was released from prison on March 25, 1995. He emerged from prison with tattoos of tennis star Arthur Ashe and communist leader Mao Zedong on his arms. He went to a nearby mosque and met with boxing great Muhammad Ali immediately after he left the prison grounds. Though many boxing promoters and managers had courted the fighter in prison, it was Don King who negotiated a deal with Showtime on his fighter’s first day out of prison.
But Tyson doesn’t stop there. He’s taken the entertainment game to the airwaves with his mystery thriller podcast, Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson. Here, he steps into the shoes of a storyteller and a conversationalist, drawing listeners into deep discussions and enthralling tales. This podcast provides an intimate, unfiltered look at Tyson—further humanizing the former champ and connecting with a new generation of fans.
“When I came in,” Britton says, “Mike was in a very dark place. There was a darkness around him.… And Mike has literally turned from the ferocious warrior up on the mountaintop, living in isolation, to this spiritually awakened shaman/cannabis-entrepreneur warrior of the light.
A few months after Zhang’s debut, Dynasty Boxing went bust. “We ran out of money,” says Terry. The Lanes exited the business. Duva pivoted Zhang to Roc Nation, with Duva joining as an executive. Roc Nation—like many new promoters—entered boxing with a bunch of money and no plan. Zhang continued to fight but often at low-profile shows. When he did get opportunities he stumbled. In 2015, Zhang, fighting on the undercard of Miguel Cotto’s middleweight title defense against Canelo Álvarez, faced Juan Goode. Zhang was knocked down in the fourth round, narrowly squeezing out a decision. “He looked like s—,” says Duva. “His training, his diet, his living habits, they were all bad.” The next year George returned and addressed it, laying out a structured schedule and enlisting nutritionists.
In another Memphis fight on February 22, 2003, Tyson beat fringe contender Clifford Etienne 49 seconds into round one. The pre-fight was marred by rumors of Tyson’s lack of fitness. Some said that he took time out from training to party in Las Vegas and get a new facial tattoo. This eventually proved to be Tyson’s final professional victory in the ring.
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.
In 2015, Zhang was signed to Roc Nation Sports, which Dino Duva also joined as an employee and boxing executive. Roc Nation, a music promoter, entered the boxing market in August 2014 with money but no plan. David Itskowitch, Roc Nation’s founding chief operating officer of boxing, abruptly resigned in July 2016 and Duva’s influence grew after. Roc Nation’s boxing division was in quick decline from 2018, all but ceased working in 2019 and closed down in 2020.
In October 2017, Tyson was announced as the new face of Australian car servicing franchise Ultra Tune. He took over from Jean-Claude van Damme in fronting television commercials for the brand, and the first advert aired in January 2018 during the Australian Open. However, the ad was quickly attacked, even leading Tyson himself to describe it as “a little sexist.”
Zhang’s commercialization was also hampered when CSI Entertainment, the broadcaster that signed an agreement in 2014 with Dynasty Boxing before the latter went bankrupt, disputed Roc Nation’s broadcasting rights in Asia. Roc Nation was temporarily restrained from broadcasting in Asia from June 2015. The New York Supreme Court only called off the temporary restraining order two years later in June 2017. The court also denied Duva’s motion to dismiss CSI Entertainment’s complaint.
The shots were stacking up quickly, though, and Zhang continued to bludgeon the face of Joyce, who was forced to absorb another clinical combination before being swept to one side by a clean left hook at the end of the round.
Joyce, from Putney in London, had charged toward the top of the division since winning a silver medal in his last amateur bout at the 2016 Olympics, but knew his career would likely take a big step back with a second loss to Zhang.
Following Zhang’s victory in the first bout, there were reports stating that a bout between himself and Tyson Fury were under discussion. On 29 June an immediate rematch was announced for 23 September at Wembley Arena for the same title.
