Mike Tyson’s 16-minute fight with YouTuber Jake Paul earned him $20 million, even though the former boxer officially retired in 2005. Boxing is a popular sport in the US, with 23.4% of the population (about 77 million people) enjoying the heavy punches in the ring. It is not surprising that 58-year-old former boxer Mike Tyson is willing to fight YouTuber Jake Paul, who is only the age of his son, for a “huge” salary – especially when the attraction of the former “Iron” Mike is still there.

The Naked Truth

Millions of people around the world, including Vietnamese fans, have read the autobiography titled “The Naked Truth” released in 2017, recounting the famous but also scandalous life of boxing “legend” Mike Tyson.

Ranked 16th among the 100 greatest boxers of all time, Tyson is famous not only for his superior strength but also for his explosive fighting style like a “machine”. In the ring, Mike Tyson transforms into a wild beast, always actively attacking until his opponent submits. Rarely does an opponent escape his heavy, direct punches.

Tyson turned professional at the age of 18. In his first year, Tyson won 26 of his 28 fights by knockout or points. In November 1986, Tyson won his first WBC world title by defeating Trevor Berbick and becoming the youngest heavyweight champion in history at the age of 20 years, 4 months, and 22 days.

In 1987, Tyson defeated James Smith and Tony Tucker, becoming the first heavyweight champion to win all three prestigious boxing belts including WBA, WBC, IBF and the only boxer to unify the world’s number 1 boxing title to this day.

During his peak career, Tyson earned $500 million – a huge amount of money more than 20 years ago – but he “burned it all” on wild pleasures. Mike freely spent money to buy a gold bathtub worth $2.2 million to give to his wife, owning many million-dollar villas across the US along with a fleet of similarly priced supercars.

In his autobiography, Mike Tyson admitted: “I spent $5 million in just a few days. I trained like crazy but also lived a wild life, slept with about… 1,300 women, including getting a female prison guard pregnant while in prison!”. Making money was so easy but not knowing how to manage finances, Mike “burned” money to the point of considering fights with a salary of tens of millions of dollars/match as just small change.

In 1992, Mike Tyson received a shocking six-year prison sentence for raping Desiree Washington, then 18-year-old Miss America. Tyson always maintained his innocence and the three years behind bars, due to a reduced sentence, gave him the opportunity to think more positively about life.

Revival

Since 1998, tax authorities and partners have continuously demanded debts, forcing Mike Tyson to sell almost all of his assets but still not pay enough. In 2002, Mike Tyson earned $103 million when fighting Lennox Lewis, but just one year later, this boxer had to file for bankruptcy with a debt of up to $23 million.

In 2005, Mike Tyson retired at the age of 38 after a match with Kevin McBride. “Everything inside me died. I only stepped into the ring to earn money to pay off my debts, I no longer loved boxing” – Mike Tyson admitted.

“Steel” Mike had to compete in hotels or casinos to earn money while his addiction to alcohol and drugs became more severe, especially after the tragic death of his 4-year-old daughter Exodus in 2009. Mike only recovered after being detoxed with the most extreme methods, including sucking the venom of dried desert toads.

Tyson founded Tyson Holistics in 2016, focusing on selling premium cannabis products for medical purposes. He has acted in movies, owned several luxury hotels, and founded Tyson University, which teaches agriculture.

At 58, Mike Tyson is of course no longer in great shape. Before the match with Jake Paul on November 16 in Las Vegas (USA), he had to undergo gastric surgery. “I lost to Jake but still feel like a winner. I almost died in June when I had to have 8 blood transfusions, lost half of my blood volume and lost 11 kg. I fought for my life. After going through 8 rounds with a fighter half my age, I think I had the experience that anyone would want. Thank you guys” – Tyson shared.