Tyson used 30 hours of footage along with recent interviews with Mike Tyson to compile the 90-minute documentary about the troubled ex-champ. Perspectives and revelations of Tyson’s life, as heard from the boxer’s own mouth, were interesting in this work, but visually the documentary begged for more.
Much of the film featured today's version of the calmer Tyson, sitting on a couch at his home talking about his past. The film, written and directed by James Toback, often spliced two or three cells of Tyson’s face on the screen at the same time or made dialogue overlap to stress certain points. This didn’t maintain interest.
Boxing enthusiasts who are likely to watch this documentary would have likely preferred more footage from the ring, as well as multiple interviews with other fighters or boxing’s elite to offset Tyson’s sole narrative.
The story starts with Tyson’s beginnings as a thug on the streets of Brooklyn and ends as he transformed into a family man who lost his passion for the sport. It shows the tragedy of an aging boxer.
Tyson’s Early Transformation From Brooklyn Thug to Heavyweight Contender
Tyson begins with an examination of the boxer’s early life. As a child he was bullied and teased for being slightly chubby, and turned to boxing to save him from a life of crime. Many of his old friends from Brooklyn are either dead or in prison, he said, and while boxing didn’t protect him from all of life’s misfortunes, it gave him direction.
After moving to Catskill, New York, Tyson began training with Cus D'Amato, a legendary trainer who saw in Tyson the makings of a champion. D'Amato kept Tyson regimented and disciplined, training him to become a ferocious fighter. D'Amato died in 1985 and to this day Tyson thinks of him as the father he never had.
Tyson As Heavyweight Champion of the World
Upon entering professional boxing, Tyson was the definition of a “knock-out-artist.” His matches rarely lasted longer than one round and he effortlessly knocked down exceptional boxers with punches that reverberated through whichever venue hosted the fight.
This part of the narrative also highlighted Tyson’s promiscuous behavior and his propensity for burning through money – both traits that lead to his eventual downfall. In 1990 he was convicted of rape and served three years in an Indiana prison. Tyson contends in the documentary that he never raped or took advantage of the woman who alleged he forced himself on her.
Tyson’s Failed Comeback and Tragic Boxing Downfall
Like another famous fighter, Muhammad Ali, who came from a three-year forced retirement to reclaim his championship title, Tyson won two belts only six months after leaving prison, but subsequently lost them in fights where he decided he was too good to train.
His lazy training habits and the natural aging process made him less of a dangerous fighter than when he was in his early 20’s. It was this degradation of skill that resulted in losses to both Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis. Tyson’s frustration and inability to stay disciplined also acted as catalysts for the infamous “ear biting” incident during his fight with Holyfield.
Today his record stands at 55 wins, 6 losses, 2 no contests and 44 knockouts.
Tyson also calls out former manager Don King as a man who “would kill his own mother for a dollar.” The boxer filed a $100 million lawsuit against King, but later settled for $14 million out of court.
 |
