Ear biting, tattooed face, heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson is surprised that he is still alive and says his past wasn’t pretty. Speaking at a news conference at Cannes film festival, where a documentary of Tyson’s life directed by James Toback is being presented, Tyson said “I’ve lived a wild and strange life.”
Drugs and violence fueled most of Mike’s life and he said:
“I’ve used drugs, I’ve had physical altercations with dangerous people, people were angry. I’ve slept with guys’ wives, they wanted to kill me. I’m just happy to be here. It’s just a miracle. I feel good about being here with you.”
The documentary was derived from going through endless hours of fight footage and past interviews and mixing clips of the two together. Producer Toback shows how the boxer came from a poor upbringing in New York and how he climbed to the top of the boxing world and then plummeted back down to the bottom.
Reviews of the movie seem to be leaning toward the favorable side. One review from the trade paper Variety said:
“In the course of the film, Tyson moves from someone you might think you’d want to steer clear of to a man you might actually want to meet and speak with, which is a significant accomplishment.”
Tyson was rescued from the streets of Brooklyn by veteran trainer Cus D’Amato, who was somehow able to help Tyson take his inner anger and transform that into the most lethal punches boxing has seen.
Tyson was the youngest boxer at age 20 to take the title of World Heavyweight Champion but he eventually gave up the clout when he was convicted of rape in 1992.
Prison didn’t improve his temperament. He came out fierce and showed the world his no-holds-barred side in 1997 when he took a bite out of Evander Holyfield‘s ear and got himself banned from the ring for a full year.
The documentary attempt to show a softer side of Tyson. Either the boxer has turned full circle or his publicist is making darn sure that Mike at least looks like he has come to grips with his inner wild child.
Check out the photos and documentary video footage below.