Zhang was born on May 2, 1983, in Qianzhangying village, Shicaoji Township, Shenqiu County, Zhoukou, Henan Province, China. Zhang is the tallest member of his family. By 15 years of age, he was 1.95 meters tall and weighed 120 kg. His father, Zhang Tan (1948–2020 ), was 1.76 meters tall while his mother, Deng Yuying stood just a shade over 1.6 meters tall. His elder brother and elder sister are of a more normal height.
Despite its popularity, the Mike Tyson tattoo has also been the subject of legal disputes and controversies. One prominent example is the lawsuit filed by tattoo artist Victor Whitmill over the use of the design in the movie The Hangover Part II.
Tyson’s first nationally televised bout took place on February 16, 1986, at Houston Field House in Troy, New York, against journeyman heavyweight Jesse Ferguson, and was carried by ABC Sports. Tyson knocked down Ferguson with an uppercut in the fifth round that broke Ferguson’s nose. During the sixth round, Ferguson began to hold and clinch Tyson in an apparent attempt to avoid further punishment. After admonishing Ferguson several times to obey his commands to box, the referee finally stopped the fight near the middle of the sixth round. The fight was initially ruled a win for Tyson by disqualification (DQ) of his opponent. The ruling was “adjusted” to a win by technical knockout (TKO) after Tyson’s corner protested that a DQ win would end Tyson’s string of knockout victories, and that a knockout would have been the inevitable result.
One day we were on the roof dealing with the pigeons and an older guy came up. His name was Barkim, and he was a friend of one of these guys’ brothers. He told us to tell him to meet him at a jam at the rec center in our neighborhood that night. The jams were like teenage dances, except this was no Archie-and-Veronica shit. All the players and hustlers would go there, the neighborhood guys who robbed houses, pickpocketed, snatched chains, and perpetrated credit-card fraud. It was a den of iniquity.
A commonly cited but erroneous factoid in the 1990 Guinness Book of Records listed it as the world’s most common surname, but no comprehensive information from China was available at the time and more recent editions have not repeated the claim.
In March of 2011, Tyson appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, speaking of how he had been living a sober and drug free lifestyle for the past two years prior, happy that it has helped improve the quality of his life. Not long after, in August of 2013 he admitted to the public that he had lied about a newfound sobriety and was practically on the verge of death due to alcoholism. Only a few months later, Tyson appeared on Fox News, admitting to finally making progress in a now truly sober lifestyle. Tyson said that he believed being in the company of good people has made him want to turn his life around for the better.
When did Mike Tyson get his tattoo and showed it to the public for the first time, it elicited a wide range of reactions. Some praised the boldness and uniqueness of the design, while others criticized it as unconventional or even controversial.
De igual manera pero en el abdomen, Tyson dispone de un retrato de Ernesto ‘Ché’ Guevara, al que durante una entrevista definió como una persona “increíble” que “tenía mucho” pero que “lo sacrificó todo en beneficio de otras personas”.
These days, as the next generation of heavyweights plies their trade in a world sorely missing a Tyson-esque presence, the former champ’s workouts are limited to two hours a day of cardio and some work with a medicine ball for his abs. No speed bag, no shadowboxing, not even a few whacks on the heavy bag, though a look at him on his recent Animal Planet series Taking on Tyson showed that he could still rip off a hook or three.
Tyson did have plenty of talent and raw punching power, but the legendary trainer fine-tuned his craft. D’Amato taught his new protegee the peek-a-boo style; that turned Iron Mike into a capable defensive fighter who was able to withstand his opponent’s advances before sending them to the canvass.
I was going to one of my classes one day when this guy walked by me in the hall. He was acting all tough, like he was a killer, and when he passed by, he saw that I was holding my hat in my hand. So he started pulling on it and kept walking. I didn’t know him, but he disrespected me. I sat in the class for the next whole 45 minutes thinking about how I was going to kill this guy for tugging on my hat. When the class was over, I walked out and saw him and his friends at the door.
“You think you know the difference between a hero and a coward, Mike? Well, there is no difference between a hero and a coward in what they feel. It’s what they do that makes them different. The hero and the coward feel exactly the same, but you have to have the discipline to do what a hero does and to keep yourself from doing what the coward does.”
When it comes to the world of four division boxing champions, Mike Tyson is a name that is synonymous with the violent sport. Known as “The Baddest Man on the Planet,” Tyson won his first 37 matches in a row, claiming the WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight titles before a surprise loss to Buster Douglas in 1990. Along with being a champion in the ring and one of the greatest to ever do it, Tyson loves tattoos, with this article aiming to dissect six Mike Tyson tattoos and the meaning behind them. But before that, let’s have a quick look at the life and times of the former heavyweight champion.