Mugshots: Mike Tyson - The Early Years | Forensic Files

Punchers are not made. They are born. He was born a puncher. It's just my nature. You I mean
that I mean to reach for you and take your heart or your blood or your spleen or your liver.
The only place he's ever he ever used to find any peace in the world was in the ring. I want to have a perfect fight. I
want to be the best fighter. I felt like Mike was kidnapped into the Don King cult and brainwashed. Don is a master of
finding a person's weakness. The fight is on. Keen use Tyson's sex life and the women around him to control him.
By nature, I'm wild regardless. It's my mentality. That's the way I am. You know, even though I'm subdued, it's
just, you know, has a lot of energy. [Music] Mike Tyson is more than wild. Mike Tyson
is the most brutal man to ever step into a professional boxing ring. He's the only man to ever be disqualified in a
championship bout for biting his opponent. Not once, but twice. His action sent thousands of fans racing out
of the arena in fear. I was inside the casino and freaking people just started. There was shots fired. People just
started running out. The Nevada State Athletic Commission revoked Tyson's license for a period of
one year. Time to reconsider whether or not he was emotionally fit to fight again. Larry Merchant covered Tyson
almost from his beginnings. All fighters previously of his type in the heavyweight division, meaning Dempsey,
Marciano, and Fraser, had short blazing careers. That kind of style does not allow a fighter to have a
very long career as Joe Lewis did, as Muhammad Ali did, as Larry Holmes did. So even giving him the best of
intentions, the greatest of will to change over There's a serious question of whether it
can be done. [Music] Tyson grew up in Brooklyn. His father abandoned him. His mother couldn't
control him. Everything was so hostile. It was It was never a a subtle moment there. It was always hostile. Cops
always stopping. You know what I mean? Amand's always coming to pick up somebody. Guns always going off. People
are getting stabbed, windows are being broken, very very hostile. We were excited. We thought it was something,
you know, I mean, used to watch these guys shooting out one another. It was somewhat um watching John Wayne shoot it
out of watch um some old Humphrey Bogart Edward G. Robertson movies and you're watching these guys shoot out and you're
looking, you said, "Wow." And this is happening in real life. By the time he was eight, he was a street punk trying
to survive. It was so exciting. Me and your world are so vastly different. You could never understand the action and
the excitement of it all. I mean, the cunningness, the, you know, I mean, to be able to outsmart somebody, it was a
big thrill to be not just to go out there and beat a guy up and slam on the ground and take his wallet to outsmart
them, to out time them, to outthank them, even though they know that you're a crook. When you're on the bus or when
you're walking in the check cashing place or the grocery store, they know to watch you
and you still outsmart them. Like most people would think um well she knows me she's she's on to
me I'm gonna walk away but just to still watch them watch them and they think they know and then they make one mistake
and you outsmart them and they have their wallet. Now, I'm not a professional cook, but when I was young,
I just wanted to out think an idea that you go back to your friend and said, "You had to see the way I did to see
your friend." You say, "You had to see this." You know, you had to see I should get Academy Awards for this, you say?
And it was just I don't care. I just I had a great time. And I mean, it was a great learning experience in life. He
was a teenage mugger and predator. He had 38 arrests as a juvenile. By the time he was 13, Tyson was sentenced to a
juvenile center in upstate New York where his luck changed when he was brought to the attention of a boxing man
by the name of Customado. Customado was a legendary boxing figure who had led champions like
Jose Torres and Floyd Patterson to world titles. Customado rescued him from a life of
crime in prison, gave him an opportunity, developed his boxing skills. Tyson was 12. He was very shy.
He looks very strong. He looked too small and a little bit too fat to make any projection about him.
Customado brought two trainers into Tyson's life. Teddy Atlas and Kevin Rooney. I met Tyson in Katskco, New York
with Custom Model. I was up there training fighters. I was training all the fighters for Custom Model. I was
training at the time when Bobby Stewart, who was a correction officer in uh a youth prison near Albany, called up C
and asked him if I would take a look at this young kid named Mike Tyson. It was a gentleman named Bobby Stewart who was
an ex fighter in New Cus and Cuss helped him a great deal and I wanted to be a boxer. I wanted to box with the kids.
when he found out that Stewart was a former fighter, which he was pro and amateur,
uh, Stewart showed him a couple things and Tyson became very energized and very excited about the prospect of maybe
learning how to box. And when he found out he was friendly with Cus, Tyson was excited that he might have an
opportunity to come and and meet Cus. In his 70s, when he met Tyson, Damato believed he'd found the kid who once
again could put Cus on a championship track. We trained him, myself and and Teddy at the beginning. We trained him
steadily until finally started get boxing and then he developed the the ability to slip punches and so forth.
When he got to the point with slipping punches, we had a difficult time getting people to box with him because he proved
to be a very hard punch with both hands. Tyson was he was like a sponge and he just absorbed everything that Cuss had
to teach him. you know, the head movement, throwing the punches with with bad intentions and the right the proper
snap. And I I recall Mike, you know, you know, practicing for for long sustained periods of time, 10,
15 minutes in the mirror, just throwing like one the right uppercut or left hook
just over and over and over. Cuss had an extensive uh films at the house of the old fighters Dempsey,
Armstrong, Robinson, and uh C used to watch them all the time. Henry Armstrong style here is typical of him. Head down
on the chest of his opponent. That's it. There you go. Now you got again. Again, who's the last guy to
stop? Time. Very good. That's what I mean. I want to do something that no fighter ever done violently in the ring.
I want to do something. I don't want to actually kill somebody. You I mean for things like Jack Dempsey broke people
eye sockets. You That's to me that's that's a high you to see that guy did this.
The trainers worked on Tyson's boxing skills. Cus used Joseé Torres as a role model. Costaro said, "This kid may
become the youngest heavyweight champion of the world." He wanted to impress us.
He knew exactly why he was there. He was there to audition to be able to change his life, maybe to move somewhere else
after he got out of prison. Cuts watch, man. Cut was pleased, I guess. And he said, "You have too much talent." You
know what I mean? He said, "You're a good kid, but if you go back to Brooklyn, you're only going to get
yourself in trouble." And from that point on, he adopted me. Boys, Frank got here, Frank.
Come on, man. Come on, man. Dude, look at that bird right there. See him? Oh, look. Great. Oh, great. Look at the
other one coming right with him. Oh, great. Look at this bird, man. Unbelievable. Unbelievable. That's the
Western Eagle. Look at them. Unbelievable. Tyson raised pigeons at Cuss's house. A pursuit he discovered as
a child growing up in Brooklyn. But Tyson was not content to only play with his pigeons. Tyson was wild. He used to
disappear. C threw Tyson out of the house in front of me. Get out of here. That was in one point. And another point
he asked Tyson out to fight with him. There was a time I remember one time when there was an argument between Tyson
and C. And Tyson C went outside. come here. You know, you you you want to be you want to be a tough guy, come here.
And and I and I we're going to fight. And Cos was very serious. And Tyson, of course, he laughed and worked away. He
had problems. He got thrown out of the school. A lot of the stuff quite honestly was kept quiet. Uh because the
image was important, you know, the kid and the old man. That was a great image, you know, that could really sell. The
kid and the old man. Well, not exactly. At least when the kid wanted to play, he
used to uh leave for the weekends to see his mother in Brooklyn. uh he was supposed to leave on Saturday and come
back on Sunday and sometimes he stay lost for three or four or five days and C used to come to the city and he used
to call me other times and I used to go over bed sty looking for Bronzeville looking for Tyson all over the place and
sometimes we found him most time we did not and I was wild I never had the opportunity because I focused most of my
life I'm sure most of the stories you hear are not not as accurate, but you know I mean of course I mean I was
interested in women. Whatever troubles Tyson was encountering outside the ring, it was not affecting the natural killer
instinct inside. With Cus and Teddy Atlas's guidance, Tyson had beaten every amateur opponent. And in 1982, he
defended his Junior Olympics title. His reputation had preceded him. The year before, some of the less developed
fighters intentionally lost their matches. terrified of facing Tyson and risking serious physical
[Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] injury. Calm down. While other fighters may have seen him as a vicious animal to
be feared and avoided, Tyson showed another side of himself before stepping into the ring for the championship
match. He broke down before the bout, giving voice to a familiar lament. His fear that if he lost, no one would love
him. Better fighters than we ever going to fight here. I mean, it's always hard,
but I mean, I came wrong, remember? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Mike Tyson, anybody likes me?
Yeah, everyone likes you, man. That's fine. You have a reason to be proud. Ladies and gentlemen,
how many seconds you want? You're the champ. Fight smart and like a tiger and calm.
out. Tyson has a great overhand right. Brown carries his left hand low. We'll see whether the two match up. There's a
right hand. There's a left. A right hand. He's got him in the corner. He's working
on him. Right head goes up. He's going down. [Music] Another right body by Tyson. Very, very
strong boxer Tyson. tell you very very strong. Brown has taken some vicious punishment and held on. He's still in
there. I don't think there's another right by Tyson. He's just left right. He's given up to coming in. Look at old
Tyson jump on the ropes. Having disposed of the amateurs, Tyson turned professional. The beginning of Mike
Tyson's career was guided perfectly from the trainers, the training, the promoting, the fights acquired for Mike
Tyson. Here was a man that sometimes fought twice a month. Unbelievable. It's so hard for a manager to get two fights
a month for a fighter. Never mind the amount of fights that they got for Team Tyson. Team Tyson was the perfect team
for boxing. And the next thing you know, Mike Tyson was like the hottest upand cominging fighter that we had seen since
the young Cashes Clay, Rocky Mariano. I mean, they were putting him in Joe Lewis. They were
putting him in that in that category because because why? Because he was knocking guys out. He was knocking guys.
Every time he threw the punch, he threw with bad intentions and he wasn't getting hit.
[Applause] [Music] Several months after turning pro, Tyson was hit with the hardest blow of his
career when his adoptive father and mentor Customado died of pneumonia. No one was certain Tyson
could continue. Jim Jacobs assumed the place in Tyson's heart that had been held by Customado.
the friend, the mentor, the replacement for the father that he never knew. Jacobs told Mike, "Win the title for
Cus." Cus died one year before Tyson became a champion. And Cus was saying publicly that he was still alive
probably because of Tyson. Jim Jacobs who was working with Tyson and Bill Kaitton. They had a they had an
association. they uh they took over. He suffered in silence that you know I think that Tyson turned the the
hurtfulness and the sorrow into some vicious anger and he and he cuz he started knocking guys. He was knocking
guys out in the gym and I think that he actually turned inward and and had it work for him. That's what I believe
happened. In uh 1984, 85,86 and most of ' 87, uh Mike lived in my apartment here in
Manhattan and he would sleep on the couch and then he'd become a top 10 fighter. Then he became the number one
contender and then he became heavyweight champion of the world. So to come out of
my bedroom in the morning and they're on the couch is the heavyweight champion of
the world and my my friend is it's like having Willie Mays or Mickey Manel sleeping on your couch. It's the most
incredible feeling in the world. But all during that time period he was a terrific kid. That was a right to the
body and an uppercut to the head. And Berick is Tyson at the age of 20 became Cuss's dream. the youngest heavyweight
champion of the world. Having conquered the division, Tyson turned his attentions to a beautiful young actress,
the star of a popular television sitcom, Robin Given. At the beginning, I was for
the idea of Tyson marrying Robin Given because Tyson was getting too wild. He began to get attention from women in in
the street and he was going crazy with women. And I felt that if he married one woman, he would stick but on the control
of one woman and that would have been much better for him. I didn't care about the woman. But in this case, I thought
that Robin G wasn't good women. Before I get married, you mean like I say I was a
young kid 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, you know, making great deals of money, very famous. More than making money, I was
very famous. I mean, and I was wild. I never had the opportunity because I focused most of my life. I'm sure most
of the stories you hear are not not as accurate perhaps. I don't know what they all are but you know I mean of course I
mean I was interested in women. Robin was a very you know seemed to be a very sweet girl and I was delighted with the
fact that he was getting married. I thought it'd be good for Mike and uh but as soon as she got married she called up
and said she's Mrs. Mike Tyson. I'm taking over. I want to see all the books and all the records. In 1988, once Mike
got married, uh, Robin Given and Ruth, of course, were very interested in taking over Mike's career. It became
very obvious when we were in Tokyo for the Tubs fight. We're flying home from Japan. I think it was a 13-hour flight,
and Robin Given gets up and announces to Bill Kaitton, I'm the I'm Mrs. Tyson's now, and everything's got to go through
me. So, right then, that was the first sign that they were looking to take Tyson over. It was reported to us here
in New York that Robin and Ruth were at the bank already claiming Mike's accounts and telling Jim Jacobs and Bill
Kaden that they're they're taking over and Robin went on record to Bill and Jim saying she's Mrs. Mike Tyson, she's
taking over. And it turned out to be a mistake. You know, it turned out to be a mistake because it was like a game, the
marriage and then the relationship with Tyson and the mother. Tyson barely had time for a honeymoon before tragedy
struck his life once again. Tyson's mentor and co-manager, Jim Jacobs, who'd been fighting leukemia for 8 years, died
on March 23rd, 1988. To the young champion, it was a shocking and unexpected event. Jacobs
had been the replacement for Customado and Tyson's emotional universe, and he'd been kept in the dark about his
surrogate father's illness. Then Jim Jacobs died when Mike was 21. Uh, and that created the opening, the
opportunity for uh, Don King to move in on a very confused 21-year-old kid and manipulate him into becoming part of Don
King's empire. With his new marriage and the pressure of fame and fortune pressing
relentlessly on him, Tyson needed a father figure now. Now more than [Music] ever, by the time June 1988 rolled
around, Tyson's personal and professional lives were in disarray. His manager and mentor, Jim Jacobs, was
gone, and the recently wetted champ was being pulled and manipulated by several opposing forces. In one corner, there
was Robin Given and her mother, Ruth Roer, who were fighting for control of the champ's fortune. On the opposing
side, Bill Kaitton, the manager who had helped make Tyson a multi-millionaire and international
celebrity. And then there was Don King, the flamboyant, spike-haired promoter, the new force in Tyson's life. This is
the high road. I'm not mad at anybody. I have no axe to grind with anyone. All I
want to do is to present to America and the world the best in boxing in a camaraderie conviviiality type of
setting. I'm a dreamer and I'm a big dreamer. And when I start dreaming, I get in a lot of trouble.
[Music] I just want to announce that we've just heard that this is the greatest live
gate in the history of professional sports. 12.3 million. By the time Tyson stepped back into the
ring to defend his title against Michael Spinx, his life outside the ring was on
the ropes. Just 10 days before the bout in Atlantic City, Robin Given and her mother, Ruth Roer, went public with
tales of beatings by Tyson. And on the day of the fight, Tyson sued his manager, Bill Kaitton, claiming Kaitton
had been dishonest in his handlings of the champ's finances. It's no pity catch. This things that
involve millions and millions and millions and not just tens and 20s, you know what I mean? Hundreds of millions
of dollars. You know what I mean? And what I did was when they asked to have all the records, I had a complete
readout made of every dollar in, every dollar out from the day we took over, when Mike turned pro. And I sent that to
the lawyer and that was the end of it. Lawyer, he was more than satisfied. We never heard another word from that
lawyer. Even though King kept saying that that we stole money, the fact is that we paid Mike everything, overpaid
Mike from the very and never recouped money that we paid during his uh amateur career. This is this is serious. You
know, I mean, people don't understand. They don't understand the contracts and what we had for the future. People, you
know, this is worth a great deal of money. Robin and Ruth decided that while the Spinx fight was going to be taking
place, they wanted to make sure that the moment the Spinx fight was over and Mike
had had his payday of $23 million, they wanted to make sure that they were in charge. And they did a very good job of
convincing Mike that everything that had been done for him up until that point was not in his best interest. that the
monies that were generated by Mike, he was getting cheated out of and all of the things that they told him, given
information to them by Don King, worked. And Mike genuinely believed that everything that had been done for him
was not in his best interest. [Music] How you doing? Who you think is going to win? Mike.
Build as Tyson Spinx once and for all and seen by oddsmakers as Tyson's biggest challenge yet. This bout had far
more drama going on outside the ring than it did inside. Big moment for me, big moment for boxing. Biggest fight in
boxing history by far. Spinx has ever been down in a professional fight. Tyson disposed of Spinx in 91 seconds. Tyson
may have left Atlantic City with his title intact, but the drama surrounding the fight would continue. Don was able
to grab Mike, bring him out to Cleveland, keep him in Cleveland until he was able to convince Mike that he was
in his best interest. Whatever the story was, whatever I'm sure Mike needed at that time, whether it was wine, women,
or song, Don got him to be able to keep him in Cleveland to give Don the time it
took for Don to start pitching the stories. And Don is the greatest pitcher of all time. He did made some moves
about closing off bank accounts so that the women could not put checks against him, which were in Mike's interest, but
they weren't being done for Mike. they were being done for Don King to cement his association with him. This lawsuit
is brought by Mike Tyson. There were charges and countercharges. Eventually, Donald Trump
announced the deal that left Kaitton as manager, King as promoter. Mike asked me
and his family asked me whether or not I'd help them in terms of representation, in terms of helping him
to solve some of the problems that you're going to have as a 21-year-old fighter. And I said I would do that. And
uh I I'd like to see him be successful so that at the age of 30 or 35 when he's ready to stop, he doesn't have to worry
about anything. History has said that often times people or boxers or fighters or just athletes who have made
millions turn around years later and wonder where it went. Uh Joe Lewis had to fight an extra fight for financial
reasons. Kareem Abdul Jabbar has to go an extra season for financial reasons. I never want my husband to be in a
position to have to fight another fight. I want him to step into the ring as often as he wants because he wants to,
because he enjoys it. Never for financial reasons. And as much money as Michael makes, he should never have to
do it for financial reasons. I'm running my show. I don't have to fight for anybody. He's employed by me. And it
seems like it was the other way around when I was employed by him. And the contract that we had and agreed, which I
trusted them, and I had write a it was basically like a a serving contract. I fight when and where and whoever they
said or whatever. and that I feel wasn't justified rightly. And I'm very pleased
the matter was resolved. I'm happy to be working with Mike Tyson, who I am absolutely confident. History will
decide was the greatest heavyweight of all time. He's got strong power over his own destiny. He's got strong control
over his own destiny. And I think that Mike and Bill working together are going to be really something over the next few
years. I'm going to take a couple six, eight weeks off and relax. I'm making the decisions like I said now. And it's
good the first time making my own decision. and I decided I'm not going to fight. If I would have never been
involved with then my girlfriend, then my wife Robin Given, I would have never been aware and my eyes would have never
been open to what was happening. And I'd like to commend my wife who I love so much and thank you.
Despite the public announcements, the struggle for control of Tyson's career would continue to unfold in the coming
years, as with the turmoil in his personal life. During the summer of 88, uh, after the contract between Bill
Kaitton and Mike Tyson was renegotiated with Robin and Ruth, everything was pretty calm for about, uh, 68 6 to 8
weeks and then there was the blow up between Mike Tyson and Robin Given at the mansion in Bernard'sville. In a
nationally televised interview, Robin Given told Barbara Walters that Tyson was a manic depressive, a charge that
would later prove groundless. She also renewed her claim that Tyson beat her. Several days later, people were summoned
to Tyson's mansion in New Jersey on a domestic disturbance call. And shortly after that, Robin Given filed for
divorce. With Robin gone, Tyson turned to his promoter, Don King. I knew Mike Tyson from 1980 to 1988. Once he was
kidnapped into this Don King cult, he never returned one of my phone calls. I don't know if my messages were ever
given to him. It was as if Mike Tyson went into a cult and the cult leaders made him break off ties to all of his
old friends. Don King ingratiates himself with fighters by appealing to their worst angels instead of their
better angels and allowing them to do what they please uh and in that way to to gain their
loyalty. Kevin Rooney was a wonderful trainer for him. Kevin Rooney loved him. Uh, but Don King made him fire Kevin
Rooney. And I think the day Tyson fired Kevin Rooney, there was a cap put on Mike Tyson's development as a fighter.
He did not develop any more beyond that date. He was never in tip-top shape for any fight. After he fired Rooney, he
stopped moving his head. He began to accept clinches. He started to jab less. You could see that that under Don King,
not only did his character and morals decline in a road, his boxing technique began to decline in a road because he no
longer had Kevin Rooney or Teddy Atlas. He didn't want to submit himself as an athlete to anyone who could have any
authority, to anyone who could say no. and he surrounded himself uh bought bought friends with the money
he made and surrounded himself with with semi-professionals uh and allowed all of this the
distractions that come with with fame and fortune to impose themselves on him. If the oddsmakers were aware of Tyson's
flagging commitment to his boxing, it was not reflected in their handicapping of Tyson's bout in Tokyo against James
Buster Douglas in February of 1990. Tyson goes over. So about 2 weeks before the fight, he realizes that, you know,
he's like 20 lbs overweight. He goes on a crash diet. He got down to I think it was like 225. Right there. Stay in
there. Tyson was a 42 to1 favorite. Before the fight, rumors had swirled about Tyson's
mental and physical state. He'd been knocked down in sparring and didn't seem focused during training. He'd faced
adversity in his personal life from day one, but never had his demons affected him in the ring. For the first time, the
greatest champion of his generation had lost control in the one place. He had always seemed to be able to maintain it.
The bell rang and I could see Tyson wasn't himself. He wasn't he wasn't in shape. So I guess he figured that well
maybe this guy's going to fall down if I look mean at him. So Tyson looked mean at him. Douglas said okay. And he
started throwing a couple of jabs. He started landing first round, second round, third round. Now all of a sudden
Buster Douglas went from being what we call a scared fighter to a brave fighter. And once that happens that once
you go from being nervous to being real brave, you don't go back to being nervous. you stay real brave and he just
he just pacing Mike. I mean just he gave him a beat. We'll finish things and hold
the uppercut. What an uppercut by. We acknowledged the fact that Buster Douglas put on a brilliant performance.
The man was uh magnificent and it indicated as I've told you many times before in many of
the press conferences that we have had that the greatness of boxing is the unpredictability of it. Fighters lose.
Most your writers, the mature writers here, they're a lot older. They've been around a lot longer than I have in the
fight business. They seen fighters better than I lose. These things happen. Only thing I'm asking for from the
champion now is just the rematch. I'll be okay. Tyson was humiliated. He had never taken such a public beating. Now
more than ever, he needed approval. And more than ever, he turned to sex. Rudy Gonzalez was Mike Tyson's
chauffeur and later a bodyguard and personal aid. Rudy Gonzalez was at Tyson's side constantly. He was a
firstirhand observer of Tyson's sex life. Our life with with Tyson with women was simple. They were always
around. They were always trying to claw themselves into the car and trying to get with him and and it becomes
confusing. King knew this. King used Tyson's sex life and the women around him to control him. Tyson didn't run
down the the the streets running around trying to grab people. Basically, women would put themselves in his arms and and
and and actually melt and fold and twist in certain ways that he would react to like any man would.
[Music] July 18th, 1991, Tyson met Desiree Washington, a Miss Black America contestant at a pageant rehearsal in
Indianapolis. She accompanied him back to his hotel room in the early morning hours. 3 days later, Washington filed a
complaint with police alleging that Tyson raped her. Back up. Come on. Back up. Out of the
way. Thank you. Out of the way. Excuse me, please. These charges are in connection with the
sexual assault. This was the greatest crisis of his young life. His freedom and reputation were at stake. The
situation that occurred was it's totally ridiculous. And I didn't hurt anyone or
do anything, but you I love women, you know. I mean, my mother's a woman. I respect them as well. And the course,
you know what I mean? Every time I trust one and get involved with one a certain
way like this, something happened. So I'm confused. I'm just I'm just lost from the whole issue that happened
today. Surprisingly, none of the team Tyson men who had stood with him at Customados early in his career were
there. Now only one man stood at Tyson's side. Don King usal affect Mr. tight in the future.
Due process is really all we are looking for. And if due process is is exhibited
here, the justice will prevail. Still hoping to fight Holfield right now. I would say due process,
given his constitutional rights, Mike Tyson is now synonymous to due process, the Constitution of this great United
States. We're not arguing whether he's guilty or innocent. We are saying let due process take its course. I wasn't in
a hotel room. Uh you never know what actually happened. Tyson felt a kind of in entitlement with the world that
whatever he wanted he could get. and uh he was sort of out of control and and like a lot of star athletes and
entertainers didn't feel that uh the rules apply to him and found out that they did. Uh the president's been a
little overzealous in giving the man a scathing indictment by innuendo, insinuation, accusation, you know what I
mean? And so he's been castigated. Were you surprised by anything you heard from the defense in their filing? No.
There aren't many, you know, when you discover like we discovered in this case, you're not going to have very many
surprises. What time did they actually start deliberating? 1:00 about 5 minutes ago, received word from the jury that we
they have reached a verdict. After nine hours of deliberations, the Indianapolis jury found Tyson guilty. We
did not come to a conclusion until the conclusion of our deliberation. All we wanted to do and I think we did a very
good job with that. We wanted to be sure of what we did and we wanted to be fair.
We knew that it was going to be like this because it's Indiana. Well, I think it was probably a very fair verdict. And
what I want to say is while we're confident of the verdict and while we are u we remain steadfast in our uh
posture versus the crime that was committed, we do have a sense of compassion for any defendant who's
convicted of a crime and faces the uncertain future that this young man does. [Music]
[Music] We know you didn't do it. [Music] [Applause] Serving a six-year term at the Indiana
Youth Center, Tyson was back in the setting he knew all too well from his days as a street punk. But once again,
he fought back. He became a Muslim, had his sentence cut in half for good behavior, and on March 25th,
1995, he was a free man. Tyson the Muslim was expected to fire Don King, but he did not. To the surprise of
boxing fans, Tyson signed a new contract with Don King worth tens of millions of
dollars. The fight is on. The reason he went with King when he got out of jail was very simple. King was
the only man on this planet who could take a man out of jail, a convicted rapist, and do a deal with one of the
biggest companies in this country, MGM, a six or eight fight deal, I can't remember exactly which, for $30 million
a fight. And the first fight he had was against Pete McNeely of all time. Why don't King manage me? Because King was
clever enough to put together the best financial package and make the best guarantee to him. All the other guys
were saying, I'll do great things for you. King was able to lay a deal out on the table that said, "You're going to
make a hundred or $150 million if you if you go with me." It was a business decision. It soon became clear that Don
King had once again cast a spell on Tyson. The spike-haired promoter was in charge
of the excon exch from Amboy Street in Brooklyn and a part of the community. The former world
champion of the world, Mike Tyson. Mike Tyson. Mike Tyson. I think that Duncan has Tyson's number, you know,
intellectually the same way uh Holyfield has Tyson number pugilistically. Tyson might have as much on King as King had
on Tyson. So there was a kind of mutually assured destruction potential between them. Uh I
think it was the money and the emotion. He felt safer with King. King had power in the boxing world. Uh, these other
guys would just talk. Duncan knows Tyson. He knows how to to persuade Tyson. He knows how to
dissuade Tyson. He he manipulate Tyson outside of him like a little boy. Tyson's comeback was plagued by
controversy from the start. And while a fight set up by Don King might not have been what most boxing observers would
call competitive, they were immensely profitable. Tyson's status as the biggest draw in boxing was once again
secure. He's selling tickets now the way he always did, but I think it's for a different reason where once it was to
watch this tremendous boxer. Now I think there's an odd sort of circus around him
and people want what's going to happen this time and and that sells that sells in America. While Tyson wasn't the
dominant pugilist he'd been in his prime, he was still a dangerous fighter with too much speed and punching power
for almost every other ranked heavyweight. Tyson quickly retained the WBC and WBA titles with victories over
Frank Bruno and Bruce Seldon. Finally, Tyson was going to get his long sought-after bout against
Evander Holyfield. And because they thought Holyfield was completely washed up as a fighter and
they thought that his name would attract a big audience and restore Tyson's own name. Otherwise, they never would have
taken that fight. If they thought that Holyfield could still fight, they would not have taken the fight. Tyson
Holyfield, years in the making. I've been looking forward to winning. My main objective is just to win. I truly
believe that the fight will be tough until uh I convince him that you know I am the man. Turned out to be a giant
letdown. Tyson was dominated by Holyfield and the fight had to be stopped in the 11th round. For only the
second time in his professional career, the fighter once thought unbeatable had suffered defeat. Tyson wasn't in good
shape and he was believing his press clippings, I guess. And uh Holyfield proceeded to give him another beating.
As it turned out, Holyfield exposed Tyson, exposed the fact that he had gone way back as a fighter and exposed the
fact that he was basically a bully in the ring and that if you stood up to him that he would come apart. On June 28th,
1997, Tyson stepped into the ring with Evander Holyfield once again. It would be a day of infamy for boxing and for
Tyson as well. The uncontrolled demons which had followed him through most of his life
would on this day slip between the ropes, creating one of the ugliest moments in boxing history.
Well, I didn't know what I was seeing at first. Uh then when I realized he bit his ears, it occurred to me that this
was a guy who quit, who was looking to get out of a fight. And then I I don't really think that was the case. I think
he was frustrated. He realized he found someone he couldn't intimidate, he couldn't bully, he couldn't beat, and he
just reacted in frustration and uh bailed out. Referee Mills Lane warned Tyson, but seconds later, Tyson did the
unthinkable again. This time, Lane disqualified him. I think he understood he was losing the fight and was going to
lose the fight because everything unfolded exactly as in the first fight, including a headbutt, including being
muscled around. He understood that he wasn't going to win this fight, that Holyfield still had his number. There
was no way for him to prevail. He landed some big punches that did not have any effect on Holoffield. I think a feeling
deep inside himself that he was going to lose again and he didn't want to get knocked out. So, this was a an exit out
of the fight without getting knocked out. I mean, you don't have to think that you're losing the fight. What you
have to think is that this guy is not falling after I'm hitting him with my best shot. And in I think it was in the
third round that Tyson was having his best round when he decided to beat him uh in the year. He
was Tyson was without a doubt he was uh he lacked confidence to win. He knew that he could not beat this guy. He was
sure that it was impossible to beat this guy. So he says, you know, he beat his ear. Tyson's corners showed their
colors. A melee erupted in the ring. An army of police stormed the ring to restore order. Well, it was a melee. I
mean, it was a melee from the word go, not just in the ring, but in the casino afterwards. The whole place was uh was
chaotic and uh it was a fitting end to that whole comeback. It was very nasty. There were people in the crowd, of
course, insensed by what they'd seen. There were fights breaking out all over the place and I'm not surprised that MGM
have sort of turned their backs on boxing. While Holyfield was rushed to the hospital with a towel placed over
his near severed ear to stop it from falling off, the fighter, once known as the baddest man on the planet, took the
long walk from the ring back to his dressing room. Tyson and his entourage were pelted with cups and bottles and
whatever else the outraged crowd could find to throw at them. I saw him actually leaving the hotel
property and where some guy yelled at him uh called him a loser. Uh and Tyson actually tried to get out of the car and
get at the guy and he was restrained. So I mean the the level of frustration uh was dialed up pretty high and it didn't
go down. I was inside the casino and freaking people just started with shots fired.
The media had a field day. Pictures of the bite were splashed across the front pages of virtually every newspaper in
the world. Tyson was condemned, ridiculed, and sports writers were near unanimous in declaring that he should
never be allowed to fight again. I saw what millions of people around the world saw. And I've been a boxing writer for
more than 30 years. I was horrified at what I saw. That's nothing to do with boxing. That's what happens out on the
street, unfortunately. And if I had my way, I would have banned Tyson. The State of Nevada Athletic Commission held
the same opinion. On July 11, 1997, they revoked Tyson's license to box. From rape to revocation, the
greatest fighter of his generation had become the living, breathing epitome of every reququum for a heavyweight story
ever told. I'm not bigger than boxing. Boxing doesn't need me, but I can survive without boxing. And just like
boxing could survive without me, Tyson wasn't finished. He knew he could earn a living. He began by turning to
wrestling. I would like to announce that Mike Tyson will be in effect the enforcer. He will
be on the outside of the ring in somewhat of a guest referee capacity. There is precedent for this. If some of
you recall, all the way back to Russell Mania 1 in Madison Square Garden, Muhammad Ali was in a similar capacity.
And with that in mind, I believe we have some videotape footage of Ali. Mike knows that other fighters in the
history of boxing who were on on their last legs financially had to do the same thing. And at that point in their
careers, it was a very much of a blow to their their legend. I respect what you've done in the boxing
world, but when you step in this ring, you're messing with Stone Cold Steve Austin, and that's something you don't
do. I think it's sad. Wrestling is not a sport. Uh, one of the great films about
boxing, Reququum for Heavyweight, ends with a with a fighter becoming a wrestler. Uh Joe Lewis, the great great
Joe Lewis, ended up as a wrestling referee. To see him now at almost age 32 involved in in wrestling, which is,
you know, ga burlesque is is a little sad. Ladies and gentlemen, the WWF official has informed me that he is
ordering Triple H in China to win the win. March 6, 1998. While waiting to regain
his boxing license, Tyson broke with Don King. Suing King for $100 million, alleging that King had cheated him out
of tens of millions of dollars over more than a decade. Mike Tyson himself over the years has
said he knew that people were robbing him. Uh he's contributed to uh to that by staying with people that he knew
would rob him. He didn't understand money. A lot of it was coming in and going out. And like a lot of
young people, he thought it would never end. If I would have been a nice guy and
kept quiet and continue to let people take advantage of me. I I would I would have been kept writing, "Oh, he's
brilliant. He's a magnificent fighter. He's such a enemy scholar. He's talked to us. He handled us like a scholar.
Once we stand up and we fight for ourselves and we're prepared to challenge anybody, don't care how much
money they have, don't care how much power they have, because it's right. While Tyson's professional life
continued to proceed in the harsh glare of the media spotlight, he quietly married Dr. Monica Turner. Turner was a
regular visitor while Tyson was in prison. The couple have avoided the limelight and have started a family. One
of the questions I've been asked is, can he can he change? I have no doubt that he wants to change. I suspect he'll try
to surround himself with people who will try to help him change. I don't know whether he will really permit himself to
submit to a a strong trainer and really go back to doing what he did it when he was young and loved it and had great
ambition. And then there's the other question of whether even if he has all of that, whether at his age he can
change. Mike Tyson's life has been a series of monumental highs and devastating lows. His, in many ways, is
the quintessential story of modern American celebrity. His face has been splashed on magazines and newspapers
around the world as the triumphant athlete and the disgraced champion. He's a living legend. His
story a work in progress. The final acts are still being written. Oh, he he is a
victim, but he's also responsible for his own actions. Uh Don King didn't uh rape Desiree Washington. Don King didn't
bite Aander Holoffield's ear. Don King was a terrible influence on Tyson and he put Tyson into an environment of
criminals and drug dealers and pimps uh and ex-cons who I think brought out the worst in Mike Tyson. But Mike has to
face the responsibility for his own [Music] actions. Is Tyson destined to suffer the
fate of so many fighters before him? Will he fade from public view, slipping silently back into the streets from
which he came? I always thought like when you're famous fighter, I used to watch the fighters,
they always had women. I thought that was the key to always be the fancy women had the cars and you know I mean to be
very flashy and luxurious you know what I mean but then again all those fighters
they wind up broke died then furnished apartments legendary fighters peerless fighters which no man could match them
at their prime wind up broke died you know what I mean with no money all the girls they had left them all the people
that say you're the best champ I'm your friend left them they died alone I grew up with CUS, you know, I
mean, and we never had a value for money, you know what I mean? Cut always cuss main objectives, you know, I mean,
when I he said once, this is what C said, money is a force sense of security, you know, I mean, don't put a
whole bunch of trust in it, you know, I mean, it helps you get out a lot of problems, but, you know, I mean, don't
rely on it. You know, I mean, you know, I mean, have a great independent, you know, I mean, the main objective is to
be your own man. Be independent. And, you know, I mean, once you have a family and you have a wife, there's no longer
you. Your what? Family comes first. Regardless of the situation, your career doesn't come before your your family.
Your family comes first. You know what I mean? [Music] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. [Music]

Click here to watch great FREE Movies & TV: http://filmrise.com

Brief Summary

Mike Tyson's life story reveals his rise, fall, and struggles with fame and personal demons.

Key points

Mike Tyson's Brutal Legacy. Mike Tyson, the most brutal man in boxing, once disqualified for biting opponents, left fans terrified.
Tyson's Troubled Youth. Growing up in a hostile environment, Tyson became a street punk before finding boxing.
The Influence of Customado. Customado, a legendary boxing figure, rescued Tyson from a life of crime and shaped his career.
The Rise to Champion. Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion at just 20, fulfilling Customado's dream.
Marriage and Manipulation. Tyson's marriage to Robin Givens led to a power struggle over his career and finances.
Tyson's Struggles with Control. Tyson's personal and professional life spirals as he faces challenges from within and outside.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I want to have a perfect fight. I want to be the best fighter.

0:19WatchJul 28, 2014

Tension

75/ 100High tension

More from True Crime Files

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.