BoxRec

Great article!

His vulnerability that he mentions is another factor that makes him so likeable, despite all the negative press he's had in his career.

Great article.I certainly dont think he is as vunerable as he makes out though.I think Fwank said he was in fact very clever/manipulative.Yes,he blew a lot of cash,but he still charges £30,000 a time for these appearances,and probably doesnt have to pay for anything anywhere in the world.

Quality mate.

Don't you just hate the idiots that these events attract?

jBacca wrote:Quality mate.

Don't you just hate the idiots that these events attract?

Exactly. Why would you waste £75 or however much it was to go and heckle someone? If you don't like him stay away. I bet these people are just trying to look hard in front of their mates, knowing that Tyson can't exactly come into the crowd and kick the shit out of them.

Agreed lads. Honestly, for boxing fans like us it was excruciating at times.

Two of the people on the row behind me were on mobile phones, two or three idiots shouted out throughout, and I especially felt bad for Tucker, who was made to feel like some no good bum who wasn't worth listening to.

Why bother going if you're not going to shut the hell up and enjoy proceedings?

Mike Tyson himself was on stage for over 90 minutes, together with Egan, Stracey, Witherspoon, Tucker, Nelson.....not a bad line-up for REAL fans of the sport.

And don't get me started on the dickhead who bid for the title belt and kept putting his hand up then said he was only joking when he bid £500! I'm surprised he got out with his wallet (and his legs).

I heard Tucker came accross as being inconvinienced throughout proceedings, whereas witherspoon appeared to genuinley enjoy himself.

good article, ive got alot of sympathy for tyson

Wales wrote:I heard Tucker came accross as being inconvinienced throughout proceedings, whereas witherspoon appeared to genuinley enjoy himself.

I think Tim might have had a couple mate, whereas Tucker looked like he genuinely wanted to tell a few stories about the game and everyone was dicking about and shouting crap. Then again I was a bit further back...

Yeah, must be frustrating, especially with a crowd that wouldnt know Tim Witherspoon from Timothy Dalton.

True mate..

Great article.

Must have been a real trip meeing Tyson - well done pal!

Great article Martin, thanks for sharing with us.

Stegsie wrote:Great article.

Must have been a real trip meeing Tyson - well done pal!

Cheers Stegsie, thanks again lads, certainly won't forget it in a hurry. Very surreal.

I can`t help getting the impression your not a great fan of Tysons? .. I`d maybe even expand that to say you seem as if your don`t like him as a person??

No doubt he gets asked the same old recycled questions numerous times every single time he meets with the fans .. I know they are the questions the majority of people will want to know( if they have never read many interviews with Tyson before) But I would like to talk the old fighters with Tyson.. not how he`d fair against them, but how he saw their styles and fighting technique. Tyson is said to be a very good boxing historian .. I`d hate to waste my time asking his view of fantasy fights etc.

tonyevs wrote:I can`t help getting the impression your not a great fan of Tysons? .. I`d maybe even expand that to say you seem as if your don`t like him as a person??

No doubt he gets asked the same old recycled questions numerous times every single time he meets with the fans .. I know they are the questions the majority of people will want to know( if they have never read many interviews with Tyson before) But I would like to talk the old fighters with Tyson.. not how he`d fair against them, but how he saw their styles and fighting technique. Tyson is said to be a very good boxing historian .. I`d hate to waste my time asking his view of fantasy fights etc.

Dont forget Hook was writing an article for a local newspaper read mostly by non boxing fans who've never heard of some boxing greats from yesteryear. As such I get the impression he was looking for some qucik wins with those questions... I dont know though.

Well written articles. Interesting to read both.

At the heart of Tysons decline as a man and boxer has always been his intense sense of entitlement, the self indulgence and constant seeking of attention. He is clearly a much changed man from his two previous versions. The 80's champion and the mid 93-96 era of muslim conversion. Both versions did have an element of gravitas as Tyson was a fight historian and had a way with words.

This Tyson of post retirement is a world travelling,cheap celebrity his gravitas and ability to say anything new deeply compromised, he sleeps with groupies and cheap big brother type celebrities. He appears in hollywood and bollywood bit parts, makes a documentary,does the odd boxing evening in the UK and generally stays in the news.

I dont like the way he slurs Ali and Dempsey as being as foolish with money and having the same intelligence or lack of, as a Tyson. Both had a far greater grasp of intelligence and money and it still appears to me, and this is the root of the problem with Tyson..........he is still totally at denial with his own role in blowing two and not one fortune.

He openly admits he used to blow $250,000 on a single party. He carried his own huge entourage. No one made him do that.

Its a cop out in my opinion to totally blame Don King etc.

At the very least Tyson earned $100 million net.

He couldnt have put away just $5 million of that?

People as far back as 1988 were telling him King was a crook. Now i dont beleive that to be the case. I think Don King does skim off fighters but compared to what the UFC pay fighters Don King is a positive humanitarian and philanthropist.

A lot of the so called lost generation of 80's HWs had drug problems and would ask for advances off King.

Also taking the Mitch Green situation where he was ripped off a purse of $50,000 which went down to $20,000. Surely Jose Torres is the culprit, as he forced Green to fight and threatened to take his licence away. He was supposed to be a neutral abitrator in the situation but clealy had an alliance with both the Tyson camp due to his days under D'amato and he was also friendly with King.

tonyevs wrote:I can`t help getting the impression your not a great fan of Tysons? .. I`d maybe even expand that to say you seem as if your don`t like him as a person??

No doubt he gets asked the same old recycled questions numerous times every single time he meets with the fans .. I know they are the questions the majority of people will want to know( if they have never read many interviews with Tyson before) But I would like to talk the old fighters with Tyson.. not how he`d fair against them, but how he saw their styles and fighting technique. Tyson is said to be a very good boxing historian .. I`d hate to waste my time asking his view of fantasy fights etc.

Perhaps when you sit down with him talking about the old fighters you can show me how it's done Tony?

PS I have no problem with Tyson at all and was privileged to be in that position.

I'd rather you say it as you see it.

Really enjoyed that Captain, thanks a lot! Love that quote from Tyson about old fighters from the past being children gifted by God. Sums up how he feels, a love -hate relationship with boxing. Loves the sport, hates the business and murky underworld that ruled boxing for so long.

Dont you just hate prats at boxing events?
Me and 3 of my mates have got tickets for the haye fight but we're in the 30 nicker cheap seats and i'm seriously hoping we're sat amongst proper boxing fans and not pissed up gobshites like the ones reported in this event.

jBacca wrote:Quality mate.

Don't you just hate the idiots that these events attract?

These are the ingnorant pricks who nothing about Mike Tyson apart from the fact that he was a great boxer & heavyweight champion! Its lucky I wasn't there, because Tyson was my hero for many years, & if I had been there, I'd have replied in a more unpleasant way than Mike did to the guy that shouted out "I'll bite your ear off". fornicating idiot!

Many folk are quick to assume Tyson is stupid, but he's more articulate than people give him credit for. Many people said he would not live to see 30, but he'll be 44 in just over three moths so that's proved those doubters & critics wrong!

On the whole, Tyson has always been very well received in the UK. I remember when he came to London in January & June 2000 & us fans just went crazy! The scenes were a sight to behold! On one of the times I got to meet him then, I remember sprinting down Park Lane, dodging traffic & all, trying to get to him while Mike checked out the McLaren F1 showroom!

Tyson was the reason I became fascinated with Boxing, he's the reason why I became interested in it & I'll always be thankful for that! I still get a bit sad when I see how he has fallen on hard in the last ten years or so, because quite frankly, when you have earned the sort of money he has, he should have been lying in a hammock counting his millions long ago!

I wish the man nothing but the very best. I wish him happiness & peace!

Fantastic interviews, really excellent. Makes such a difference when someone who knows the sport is asking the questions.

Yeah, these dinner events do bring out some real penises. I went to one with Nige Benn recently and some silly w*nker asked him repeatedly what his waist size was.

And they'll be revealing something very interesting and some complete cock end is shouting beer jibberish.

Good interview MW. What belt were they auctioning for £500?