Los Angeles, May 28 (Reuters) Mike Tyson was the world’s most feared heavyweight champion during his reign, annihilating opponents with savage effectiveness.
But all the while, the tormented celebrity was at odds with himself, fighting an aggressive voice inside his battered skull that drove “Iron Mike” to the brink of suicide.
He claimed that everything changed when he started ingesting psilocybin mushrooms, also known as “magic mushrooms,” and other comparable consciousness-altering drugs.
Tyson was a part of several street gangs from a young age before being transferred to a reform school in upstate New York in 1978. Bobby Stewart, a social worker and boxing enthusiast at the reform school, saw his boxing talent and introduced him to renowned trainer Cus D’Amato, who became his legal guardian. Tyson earned a 24-3 amateur record before turning professional in 1985.
D’Amato taught Tyson a peekaboo boxing method in which he put his hands close to his cheeks and bobbled continuously in the boxing ring, making his defense nearly impregnable. Tyson, who stood 5 feet 11 inches (1.8 metres) tall and weighed approximately 218 pounds (99 kg), was short and squat and lacked the conventional heavyweight boxer’s appearance, but his unexpected quickness and aggressiveness in the ring overwhelmed the majority of his opponents. On November 22, 1986, he became the youngest heavyweight champion in history, defeating Trevor Berbick in the second round to win the World Boxing Council (WBC) title. On March 7, 1987, he defeated James Smith to win the World Boxing Association (WBA) championship. After defeating Tony Tucker on August 1, 1987, Tyson was universally recognized as champion by all three sanctioning bodies (WBC, WBA, and International Boxing Federation [IBF].
Following the deaths of D’Amato and manager Jimmy Jacobs, Tyson teamed up with notorious promoter Don King. He made ten successful defenses of his world heavyweight title, defeating former champions Larry Holmes and Michael Spinks. Tyson married actress Robin Givens in 1988, but the pair separated in 1989 following allegations of physical violence. Tyson was later charged with numerous counts of assault and harassment.
Tyson lost the championship to little-known James (“Buster”) Douglas in one of the biggest upsets in boxing history on February 11, 1990, via technical knockout in the tenth round. Tyson returned from the loss with four consecutive victories. He was, however, accused of raping a beauty pageant competitor in 1991 and convicted of the accusation in 1992.
