The Mike Tyson Ride
Imagine you’re on a gigantic roller coaster, one that whips and dives with ferocity. Every turn feels like a car accident, while every loop leaves your inside-out stomach plotting to kill you. It might be thrilling, fun even for moments, as the ride only lasts a matter of seconds.
Now pretend it never ends.
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That’s just life for Mike Tyson, the most enigmatic athlete in the history of sports.
There is no middle ground for Mike. It was and probably always will be boom or bust. It’s amazing he is still alive after enduring extreme lows and once holding the title of world champion.
As a fighter, nobody was more dominant. His bouts rarely lasted longer than a few rounds, sometimes even just seconds, thanks to a decapitating uppercut and a cheek-shattering left hook. ”Iron Mike” wasn’t just one of the most explosive, ruthless, dominant boxers of all time, he was also a hall-of-fame entertainer, like Muhammad Ali.
Scratch that. He was a poor man's Ali, one with a much much lower intellectual capacity, but still entertaining. Whether it was a weigh-in or an interview, you never knew what was going to happen.
In June of 1997, he bit a chunk out Evander Holyfield’s ear, an event that has been like another tattoo on Tyson’s face, a permanent fixture that will embody him forever.
He is a living symbol of negativity. Besides the ear feast, he was convicted of rape in 1992, throwing three years of his prime away rotting in prison, lost his four-year old daughter in a freak accident inside his home last year, and is now reportedly broke, living paycheck to paycheck, after grossing what surmounted to a few hundred million dollars during his boxing career.
Think about what it would be like to win the lottery and have someone you trust steal from you over time until there’s nothing left.
He has turned Hollywood of late, the first of which was a documentary titled Tyson, a story that lets you dive through the mind of the former champion. Last summer he appeared in The Hangover , one of the highest grossing comedies ever. He actually did quite well.
No matter what he does, people follow. There is an intrigue about him, an aura similar to a president, that captivates people. I could spend hours on youtube watching one Tyson clip after another.
When I found out Mike joined twitter a few months ago it felt like my second birthday this year.
People need entertainment like plants need water, and Tyson is the best entertainer the world has ever seen, because it’s real. His life is so unbelievable that he has become a walking spectacle.
There will never ever be another athlete like Tyson, so enjoy the moments while we still have him.
“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!”
Tyson on Kimmel
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