Hardly any boxer leads such an eventful life as Mike Tyson. His story interests millions of people – and is now causing a public dispute.
Former world boxing champion Mike Tyson has accused US streaming service Hulu of using his life story for a series without permission. “They stole my story,” said the 56-year-old, who became the youngest heavyweight world champion in history on November 22, 1986 at the age of 20 years and 144 days.
Legal steps still unclear
Tyson won 44 of his 50 professional wins early, 22 of them in the first round. In total, he suffered six defeats. “Iron Mike” made a lot of negative headlines in and out of the ring. His biting attack against Evander Holyfield in the World Championship match on June 28, 1997, after which he was disqualified, will not be forgotten.
The high point of his private escapades was a six-year prison sentence in 1991 for raping an 18-year-old beauty pageant contestant, three years suspended. This inglorious episode, as well as several famous fights, is also the subject of the eight-part series “Mike”, which will be broadcast from August 25th. Hulu is only available in the US.
It is not known whether Tyson will take legal action against the broadcast. But he made his displeasure clear. “I don’t support their story about my life. It’s not 1822. It’s 2022. They stole my life story and didn’t pay me,” he said.