On March 6, 1985, Mike Tyson captivated the world’s attention for the first time. Then, the 18-year-old boxer made his pro-spongebob boxers boxing debut in a match against Hector Mercedes — and defeated Mercedes in a first-round technical knockout.
Their relationship, while not close, is built on mutual respect. Tyson has acknowledged Jake’s efforts in the boxing world, often providing words of encouragement and advice. In one interview, Tyson even praised Jake for bringing new attention to the sport and for his dedication to training and improving as a boxer.
Throughout history, tattoos have been used to signify belonging and identity, and the tradition continues to this day. For many people, tattoos like Tyson’s can hold deeply personal and meaningful significance. Whether it’s a representation of cultural heritage or a reflection of one’s individual experiences and beliefs, tattoos serve as powerful reminders of our unique identities and the stories that make us who we are.
In his fifth professional fight, Hrgović was scheduled to fight the undefeated Mexican heavyweight Filiberto Tovar. It was the first time in Hrgović’s career that he was scheduled to fight a ten-round bout. Hrgović once again dominated, stunning Tovar in first, second and third rounds, although he couldn’t knock him down. Midway through the fourth round, Tovar’s corner threw in the towel, awarding Hrgović a TKO victory.
Billy White, who has known Tyson for more than forty years, since they were both with D’Amato, remembers picking up the phone in a church parking lot and hearing his friend’s plans and his message: I need you. White didn’t hesitate and is helping his friend train three times a day, believing that only Tyson could pull this off, no matter his age.
But the controversy from the original tattoo wasn’t the last of it. In THE HANGOVER PART II an exact copy of Tyson’s tattoo was featured on the face of actor Ed Helms as part of a humorous plot device. Whitmill was outraged, and claimed copyright over his tattoo. In 2011 he sued Warner, arguing that they had violated his exclusive right to authorize derivative works. Whitmill’s decision to sue stirred lingering resentments in Aotearoa/New Zealand around the tattoo’s cultural content: in response to the litigation, Maori politician Tau Henare tweeted that it was a “a bit rich” that Tyson’s tattooist was claiming someone had stolen the design, given that he had copied it from Maori without permission.
The tattoo drew significant attention before the fight. Tyson took time off of training to get it, which trainer Jeff Fenech would later say was a contributing factor to the fight being rescheduled by a week. Some questioned Tyson’s physical and mental fitness to fight. Experts including dermatologist Robert A. Weiss expressed concerns about Tyson boxing while the tattoo healed; Etienne said that he would not go after the tattoo. (Tyson ultimately knocked out Etienne in under a minute. ) The work—which Tyson and others have referred to as his “warrior tattoo”—was also met with criticism from the outset by Māori activists who saw it as cultural appropriation. In 2006, tā moko artist Mark Kopua in a statement to the Waitangi Tribunal called for “a law that would prevent a Mike Tyson or a Robbie Williams or large non-Māori companies from wearing and exploiting the moko”.
However, his family was at a surprise 21st birthday party, which had a tattoo artist at it. As everyone drank alcohol at the event, Paul then got a second tattoo on his hip. It was something his dad encouraged, but his mom did not. Once he got the tattoo on his hip, “it was all downhill after that.”
During the design process, Tyson and Whitmill collaborated with each other, with Tyson making suggestions on the imagery and symbolism he wanted to incorporate into the design. After several iterations, they settled on the final design, which has since become iconic.
Though his professional boxing career ended in 2005, a surprising Mike Tyson fact is that he has kept busy in other ways — including as an actor. He has 62 credits on IMDB, as of 2022, including for films like The Hangover (2009) and TV shows like The Last O.G. (2020).
Is it the norm for a tattoo artist to retain the rights to a design they put on someone else’s skin? Or did it only apply in this case because Tyson is a celebrity and the tattoo artist was seizing an opportunity? What a weird idea that somebody else might own something on your skin. (In a related opinion of mine, I think that the models we paint at conventions should be allowed to get copies of all the photographs taken of them…the person on whom the bodyart is created is as intrinsic to the result as the art is)
It must be said that the body of Mike Tyson has several tattoos. The earliest he began to make more in prison, where he spent a period of his life. The body of the former boxer can be taken apart portraits of Mao Zedong, Che Guevara and Arthur Nash (black players in tennis).