African American Mike Tyson: the unforgotten boxer - Research Paper Example

? History and Political Science African American “Mike Tyson: The unforgotten Boxer” November 13, Mike Tyson: The unforgotten boxer Introduction We have here one of the most unforgotten African-American, Mike Tyson, who became popular in the sports arena. He awed his audience in many ways, loved his style of fighting or hated him for this. Being an African-American, what was his contribution to this race? To be able to report his life correctly, facts of his life were gathered from his own life’s bio.(Bio.com) Mike Tyson’s life Mike Tyson is an African-American boxer who hit the headlines several times because of his notoriety and fame. He had been fined and imprisoned for many infamous activities that tarnished his reputations as a professional boxer and his personal life. Tyson married thrice, two of which, ended up with a divorce, and a father to seven children, whose mothers were not revealed in his life’s bio. Who would ever think that this man, a heavyweight champion at age 20, was once upon a time a small and shy child who was a target of bullying? He was born in Brooklyn, New York, but because of financial hardship due to the break-up of his parents, they moved to Brownsville, New York, a neighborhood noted for high crime. Perhaps due to this environment, he was pushed to protect himself from bullying by learning the style of street fighting Later on, at age 11, he joined gangs that pressed him to do criminal acts. Together with his gang, he was ordered to wipe out cash registers while older member held others on gunpoint. When he turned 13 years old, he had 30 arrests for petty crimes. For these awful activities, he was sent to a Reform School for boys in New York. This is where he met Bob Stewart, a former amateur boxing champion, who was influential in directing his life, as they engaged into an agreement that Bob will teach Mike to use his fists as long as he stay out of trouble and be good in school. True to his promise, Mike, a classified learning disabled, was able to achieve learning abilities of grade seventh level in just a matter of months. He really wanted to learn how to fight, so much so, that he would exercise his punches after curfew and in the dark of night. When the time came that Bob thought he had taught enough to Mike, he turned him over to the care of a legendary boxing manager named Constantine Amato. Amato owned a gym and had managed boxing careers of several named boxers, one of them was Floyd Paterson. Seeing Mike’s potentials of being a good boxer, Amato agreed to take custody of Tyson’s career. This is the beginning of Mike’s boxing career and a father-son relationship of the two. He continued his schooling at daytime and had a meticulous training in the evening. However, he was expelled from school because of unpredictable conduct which was often violent. He then continued his studies through the help of a tutor. Seeing that Mike was ready to start his boxing career, Amato matched him with a heavyweight that resulted in breaking the record of Floyd Patterson as the youngest champion at heavyweight champion level. Mike debuted his professional boxing career with a match with Hector Mercedes on March 1985 whom he knocked him out on the first round. Mike has been noted for quick fists, that intimidated his opponents during the fights. For this, he earned the title of “Iron Man” His boxing career was phenomenal, because at age 20 he had a record of 22-0 knockout fights, and by age 20 and four months, he was given the title world’s youngest heavyweight champion by the WBA, after he won the title fight. His successes continued as he was named as the first boxer to win three major boxing belts. Because of his triumphs he easily began to be a celerity that caught public attention, and his lifestyle slowly changed as he started partying and mingling with Hollywood stars. There he met and married TV actress Robin Givens on February 7, 1988. This marriage ended up with a separation and divorce only a few months after they were wed. This break up became headlines as Tyson was charged by Givens of spouse abuse and described their marriage as “pure hell”. Perhaps due to complications in his life, first the lost of his mother, then the death of Amato, his erratic and violent behavior continued. This did not escape attention of media. For instance, in 1988, he had a street fight with a professional boxer, and a month later, he got unconscious when the BMW he was driving hit a tree. News said that it was not an accident but an attempted suicide due to excessive drugs. Tyson’s adventures with women continued as later on in l988, he was charged by Sandra Miller and Lori Davis of forcefully, grabbing and insulting them while dancing, for which actions, he was again sued in court. Tyson had also losses in his life and career. He was defeated for the first time on Feb. 11, 1980 to boxer Buster Douglas in Tokyo, Japan, and when the court ruled in favor of Sandra Miller. If this was not enough, Tyson again was involved in another scandal, this time, he was charged of raping Desiree Washington, a Miss America Black Contestant. He was found guilty of the charge and was sentenced to a 6 years imprisonment. While in prison, he turned to the Muslim religion and imbibed veganism. After serving his term of imprisonment, Tyson returned to the ring and made successful matches. But his last match with boxer Hollyfield was the most memorable. After he was defeated by Hollyfield in an earlier match on November 9, 1966, Tyson vowed to avenge since he claimed his loss was due to illegal head butts. Their second match was awaited by millions of fans so that they were considered as the highest paid professional boxers in 2007. The fight that started to please the fans turned out to be ironic when on the third round of the match, Tyson bit the ears of Hollyfield, piercing one side on the process. Tyson claimed that he was just getting even with Hollyfiel for his head butts. Of course, this shocked everybody, but this action led to the revoking of his license and a fine of $3 million. Misfortunes and misdeeds further caused Tyson to more court hearings on charges of another sexual harassment, attack on a motorist after his car was accidentally dented, and marijuana smoking. His boxing license was reinstated in 1988, but later on went back to serve a 9 months imprisonment and community service because of his assault to a motorist. When released in prison, he went back to boxing and had more winnings. But one of his winnings was disqualified because he was discovered using drugs. Tyson retired in 2005 after losing many fights including a known fight with another world heavyweight champion, Lennox Lewis. Tyson made this fight personal , insulted Lewis, and threatened him that “he will eat his children.” A press conference of the two ended with a brawl that almost cancelled the match. Eventually, Tyson was knocked out in the fight. This defeat and many more were indications of retirement. After this, his lifestyle changed; he was caught in a quagmire of personal debts that needed him to file for bankruptcy after his reckless spending, multiple trials, and bad investments cost him so much. Measures he did to alleviate his predicament was to sell his mansion house, did exhibition fights and made endorsements. He got married for the third time, a period in his life where he reinvented himself. From fighting, he went into movies and starred in few hit movies, but he acknowledged that he was fighting his life against substance abuse, and in many times, he thought of dying. Today, Mike Tyson is a boxing promoter, his first love. Here are some of his famous quotes, as compiled by Match, Steven of the Shave Magazine (2011) that showed his bad side: Tyson’s remarks to Lennox Lewis, I'm coming for you man. My style is impetuous. My defense is impregnable, and I'm just ferocious. I want your heart. I want to eat his children. Praise be to Allah!   "My main objective is to be professional but to kill him." "I want to rip out his heart and feed it to him. I want to kill people. I want to rip their stomachs out and eat their children."   "I'm the most brutal and ruthless conqueror there has ever been." On Razor Ruddock: "You're sweet. I'm going to make sure you kiss me good with those big lips. I'm gonna make you my girlfriend."   General: "I just want to conquer people and their souls." "I have some pain I'm going to have for the rest of my life. So every now and then I kick your f*cking ass."  "I'm on the Zoloft to keep from killing y'all." "I try to catch [other boxers] on the tip of the nose, because I try to push the bone into the brain." "I wish one of you guys (reporters) had kids so I could kick them in the f*cking head or something, or stomp on their testicles so you can feel my pain. Cuz thats the pain I have waking up everyday." "They called me a 'rapist' and a 'recluse.' I'm not a recluse." And finally to conclude, here is what he said to a reporter in the crowd who made a comment to him that he did not like: "White boy, f*ggot, you can't touch me you're not man enough, I eat your ass all alive, you bitch, can't anybody in here f*ck with this, this is the ultimate. F*ck you, you hoe! Come say it to my face, you bitch. Come on you bitch, you're a scared coward, you're not man enough to f*ck with me, you can't last two minutes in my world bitch. (At this point the reporter backs away deeper into the crowd) Look you scared now, you hoe. Scared like a little cracker bitch. Scared of the real man! I'll f*ck you till you love me." Tysons’ behavior landed to reports from media including those from the Sports Desk of the New York Times, which are quoted here: Clifton Brown, (June 5, 2008) reported: After a brief but vigorous workout Tuesday, Mike Tyson sat on a stool and uttered a favorite expression that has been used to describe his career and his life. ''Old too soon, smart too late,'' he said. Whitmill vs. Warner Brothers Complaint The artist who designed Mike Tyson’s facial tattoo is going to court to try to stop Warner Brothers Entertainment from using the tattoo in the movie “The Hangover Part II.” TOM FRIEND (June 30, 1997) Mike Tyson bit a grown man Saturday night, and now his troubles are back in session. A boxing commission has suspended him, a district attorney may want to interview him, a doctor may want to do a blood test on him and a certain Evander Holyfield may want to sue him. In conceiving himself as an artistic performer, here is what critics said on his one-man show in Broadway that portrayed his life’s bio:(Weatherbie, Jamie. August 3,2012) The first reviews from New York are in, and it seems while most critics agree that Tyson is the champ of charm, the 90-minute tell-all is more of a cop-out than a knockout. The Hollywood Reporter's Frank Scheck called the show "self-serving" and Tyson's monologue  "frequently profane, sometimes draggy." Scheck wrote that the show's focus is to "deliver [Tyson's] side of the story, while settling some scores along the way," but that the result, he added, is "weirdly fascinating." Newsday's Robert Cassidy gave the show a favorable review, citing its  "very clever script" and Tyson's ability to tell a good story. Cassidy concluded that Tyson is "still capable of delivering a knockout. Only now, he doesn't need to throw a punch." Joe Dziemianowicz of the New York Daily News wrote that the show "rambles and really needs tightening" and the "overly poetic words" can "ring false” for Tyson. Dziemianowicz wrote that while Tyson's sometimes rushed and mumbled through his monologue, he added that "Iron Mike is gifted with iron-clad charisma and can work an audience.” Conclusion Mike Tyson, a legendary boxer has entertained the world through his harsh antics and unruly behavior in the ring. He called himself a recluse, somebody who lives in solitude, or a man tired of ignorance, rudeness and stupidity. He expressed his regrets on his wasted life in saying “old too soon, smart too late”. Perhaps he is a misunderstood man, one who needs more compassion and love. The columnist in New York Daily is probably correct when he said he possessed an “iron-clad charisma” that fascinates his audience of all walks of life. His fights may not be forgotten since he put boxing into worldwide attention which could be called as his best contribution to sports and into the African-American history. References Bio.com. True Story. “Mike Tyson. Biography”. 2013. web. 30 October 2013 Stevens, Match. “ Mike Tyson: Crazy, Funny and Downright Scary Quotes.” (2013) Shave Magazine web. 30 October 2013 Weatherbie, Jamie . “Mike Tyson's solo show on Broadway: What did the critics think?” Los Angeles Times. 3 August 2012 web. 30 October 2013 Read More