Mike Tyson was arrested after punching a photographer at LAX on Wednesday.
The paparazzo was allegedly quite aggressive and was all up in Tyson’s face (like a moron) before getting punched. We hear he may even have egged Tyson on by hitting or pushing him.
The incident took place at a United Airlines ticket counter while Tyson was with his wife and 10-month old baby. Tyson claims he was protecting his child from the cameraman, and after losing a child back in May, I don’t think you can really blame him.
Tyson took one swing at the paparazzo and apparently it was effective. The cameraman dropped to the ground after the former heavyweight champ nailed him, and his forehead bled profusely from a cut. But hey, everyone knows that head wounds bleed like a bitch. Buck up, a**hole.
The cameraman was also arrested and both parties were booked on misdemeanor battery charges. Witnesses at the scene back up both stories.
I don’t know about you, but I think Mike had to have been provoked. And if that is the case, that cameraman had it coming! Some of those bastards are so slimy that they will pull a stunt like this just to get a shot, or a story, out of it.
Well have to wait and see how this one pans out, but I am definitely on Team Mike.
Mike Tyson opened up to Oprah Winfrey in an exclusive interview, which, in my opinion, was long overdue.
Iron Mike, as he was once called, talked about his youth, the many controversies surrounding his past and the death of his daughter.
Mike recalls being bullied as a kid and spoke of one instance where a group of boys killed a pigeon of his by ripping it’s head off in front of him. He says that someone yelled, “Mike, fight him!” And that was the turning point in his life. He realized if he fought, he wouldn’t be considered a target anymore. He says that fight gave him the confidence to “fight back.”
Oprah then reads Mike a quote of his, where, after watching a film made about his life, Tyson, he said he understood why the public saw him as a monster.
“Then when I watched the movie I get it. For the first time I get it. I’m watching as a human being that’s very rational now. I say, this guy’s so unpredictable, you don’t know whether he is going to take you out to lunch or stab you with a fork.”
He explained:
“I took a chance to become more objective. I never became more objective with myself and then I watched myself, when I watched the film and . . . that guy would make me nervous if I was in a room alone with him.”
“You scared people,” Oprah says. “I scared myself,” says the champ. “That was a scary guy.”
Tyson lost his mother at age 16. He never knew his father. But he did have a mentor, a trainer and a father figure, all in one man. Cus D’Amato. As Tyson remembers D’Amato, he is obviously shaken. He gets choked up and teary-eyed. Obviously D’Amato was the father he never had.
“I did everything he told me to do, and I won.I won every championship. Amateur championship[s], all the championship[s] . . . I’m going to cry . . . so, I won every championship, that he told me, because he told me what to do. And I started believing in this old man.”
D’Amato died in 1985. Mike says after his death he lost his desire to fight and began drinking and drugging. He felt lost and was not prepared for the loss. By this point in the interview Mike can barely speak he is so overcome with emotion. His love for D’Amato is painfully obvious. It tugged at my heart to see him so fragile and vulnerable. We caught a glimpse at the child inside Tyson.
Speaking of children, Mike also had a very hard time talking about his daughter, Exodus. He says he still isn’t sure what happened to her the day she lost her life after an exercise machine mishap. And he doesn’t want to know. Because, he says, he doesn’t want to have someone to blame.
As for his marriage to Robin Givens, Tyson says that his ex-wife lied to Barbara Walters during their infamous interview in 1988. He says he was too stunned to say anything at the time, something that he deeply regrets. But also, he says, if he would have reacted, it would have been “what they wanted.”
Tyson then spoke of Evander Holyfield and the ear incident. He says he bit his opponent’s ear because he was angry at him for butting his head repeatedly during the fight. He says he just snapped. “I was pissed off he was such a great fighter, too,” he adds. He felt no remorse for what he did and says his initial apology to Holyfield was insincere. Oprah asks if he has seen Holyfield in recent times. He says, “I’ve seen him sometimes – and he’s a little leary of me.” Tyson insists though, that he wants to sincerely apologize now, and shake his hand.
These days Tyson says that he is “tired of failing” and knows how much he has to lose. He is happy in his marriage, has a new baby and 6 other children that he says are his everything. Reflecting on his past he says: “I realize I was going to die . . . I’m just so embarrassed, I’m so embarrassed.”
As many of you know, I met Iron Mike by coincidence, at the Las Vegas airport in 2003, and the Mike that I met was the Mike on Oprah. He was polite, soft spoken and a gentleman. We chatted for a few minutes about his new tattoo and the significance of tattoos. When I tell people about our chat they often respond with, “And you still have both ears?!” or a simply a look of disgust. But I didn’t meet the out of control Tyson. I met the kinder, gentler one.
Mike has matured emotionally in his older age, but also, life has worn him down a bit. I find him to be fascinating, and have since the late 80s when he was just coming up. This was an absolutely classic interview. It was so refreshing to see Mike as a human being and not the unpredictable menace that he once was.
Mike Tyson, 42, married girlfriend Lakiha Spicer, 32, in Las Vegas last weekend.
The couple wed Saturday night around 10 p.m. at the Las Vegas Hilton wedding chapel after obtaining a marriage license at the county courthouse. They arrived via a chapel limousine.
Owner of the La Bella Wedding Chapel, Shawn Absher, confirmed the news.
This is Tyson’s third marriage.
Lakiha has been comforting Tyson since the tragic death of his 4-year-old daughter, Exodus Tyson, who was accidentally hanged by a treadmill cord only two weeks ago.
I know many of you despise Mike, but I absolutely adore him. Yeah, he was a big animal when he was young. He was fierce and he was mean. But he’s just a fat old man now.With lots of scars, physical and emotional. The guy has had a really tough life. I guess I can relate to him.
So I guess my point is, don’t be so quick to hate on Mike. Sure, he has a bit of a past, but he’s most certainly human. I think life has humbled him a bit.
I wish him the best in his new marriage. Hopefully it will bring him the comfort he needs at this time.
Mike Tyson’s daughter Exodus Tyson has died after being accidentally hanged by a cord.
She was only 4-years-old.
On Monday around 10:30 A.M. Exodus was playing around the family’s treadmill when she became caught in a cord that was attached to the machine. She was unable to free herself and was discovered by her 7-year-old brother.
Paramedics performed CPR on the girl and she was rushed to a nearby hospital. She was put on life support but died Tuesday just before noon.
The family released the following statement:
“There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Exodus. We ask you now to please respect our need at this very difficult time for privacy to grieve and try to help each other heal.”
Mike Tyson’s four-year-old daughter was found hanging from a cord Monday morning and is in “extremely critical” condition.
Exodus Tyson was found by her 7-year-old brother who discovered her hanging from a cord that was attached to a treadmill in the family’s Phoenix home. He got his mother, who released the child, called 911 and tried to revive Exodus.
Police Sgt. Andy Hill described the tragic accident:
“Somehow she was playing on this treadmill, and there’s a cord that hangs under the console — it’s kind of a loop. Either she slipped or put her head in the loop, but it acted like a noose, and she was obviously unable to get herself off of it.”
Paramedics performed CPR on the girl before transporting her to St. Joe’s hospital.
Tyson was in Las Vegas when the accident happened but immediately flew home to be with his family.
Jamie Foxx is set to play Mike Tyson in an upcoming film based on the life of the infamous fighter.
Tyson has planned the movie for some time and has already signed Foxx up for the role.
Tyson says, “Jamie Foxx and I will be working together. He will play me in the film about my life. We already talked about it several times.”
Tyson claims he is finally clean and sober after a lifetime of drug and alcohol abuse.
He says, “Even when I was training for a fight, there were no drugs, but I would drink. I had never been clean and sober my whole life. This is the first time. I’m tired of losing. I lost the trust of my family, my five kids. I didn’t like that way of life and decided to change. I saw the devil and didn’t want that.”
It seems Hollywood celebrities endorse everything these days.
It’s crazy. You can’t open a magazine or watch television without seeing them promote some sort of useless product. From clothing to beauty products and even fast food. But you don’t usually see celebrities endorsing candy and you probably never will. (Unless they happen to have one named after them!) It’s one of the only things safe from being recommended by famous A-listers and sports figures.
So I wondered, what if the market for celebrity candy endorsements were hot? Who would represent what candy and why?
Well marvel no more.
_________________________________ The 100 Grand bar = Tori Spelling.
Mike Tyson, 40, was arrested in Scottsdale, AZ at 1:45am this morning after nearly hitting a Sheriff Deputy’s car…and not with his fist.
He had left a nightclub shortly before the incident occurred.
Tyson appeared in County Superior Court in Phoenix a short while later. He was released without bond on a felony drug possession charge. The DUI charges are pending his toxicology test results.
While the case is pending Tyson must succumb to drug and alcohol testing.
During his hearing he actually thanked Commissioner Sheila Madden. He did not enter a plea and did not have a lawyer.
“He showed signs of impairment and voluntarily submitted to field sobriety tests,” the arresting offer said.
He also stated that Tyson was “showing more signs of impairment” while performing field sobriety tests.
So police then searched Tyson & his BMW, where they found cocaine. And how. A bag of cocaine in each of Mike’s back pockets, and a baggie in a cigarette box on the front seat. Tyson had also been wiping a white substance off of his dash when police approached his vehicle.
The officer also stated that tests showed that Mike was “under the influence of a depressant, stimulant and cannabis.” Tyson admitted remorsefully that he “was an addict” and “has a problem.” He admitted possessing the bags of cocaine, and saidhe uses it “anytime (he) can get his hands on it.”
I feel bad for the guy. He is screwed up. Big time.
I’ve told you all before that I met the guy in Vegas, and he was nothing but cool as hell to my husband and I. Tyson and I talked for a bit about tattoos, and just down to earth stuff. He even let me get a picture..to his bodyguards dismay.
I got the feeling that he was really a good guy deep down. Just really damaged. And it sounds like he is truly sorry for where he is at in life right now.
It’s too bad, because there isn’t a lot of hope for him right now. I’m probably one of the only people who won’t be talking snidely about him today.
I truly hope he finally gets the help that he so desperately needs.
*You can see the pic of Spicy & Tyson in the photos of my MySpace page*
