There aren’t a lot of names in the world of boxing that carry as much weight as Mike Tyson’s. The former Heavyweight champion is one of the most recognized personalities in the world because of his success inside and outside the ring. However, there is one aspect of his life and personality that he does not want to see in others. It’s something ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson does not take lightly. In the latest episode of his podcast, Tyson warns anyone who dares to replicate this aspect of his life.
It’s his past that has shaped Mike into the gentle giant he is today. But what happened during his podcast that made Mike issue a warning to anyone who copies his viral move? What is it? Why does it make him angry?
Dire Warning From Mike Tyson
In the recent episode of Hotboxin’ With Mike Tyson featuring Antonio Brown, a former NFL player, Tyson spoke about his iconic face tattoo. When DJ Whoo Kid, Tyson’s co-host in the show, brought up his tattoo, Mike responded with a stark warning. In Mike’s own words, “I think I will hit you with a bat or something.” Mike went on to describe how he feels when he sees someone with the same tattoo on their face. He said, “I see my tattoo on somebody’s face, it pisses me off though. It shuts my ego down,”
Elaborating on the reason behind it, Mike said, “I can’t think. S**t flashing like I’m the flyest ever, and I see that for you ain’t shit ni**a.” According to Mike, seeing the tattoo on someone else creates an internal struggle. He starts telling himself, “You ain’t nobody special..you eating shit, you have bad habits too. Something like that humbles me.” Mike doesn’t understand why someone would want to do it. He said, “ Somebody would want to do something like this, and I know my demons. Why would you want to do that? I’m this kind of person.” He ended the topic by saying, “It’s just creepy sometimes.” With that said, it’s quite clear he doesn’t like people copying his tattoo. But why did Mike get the tattoo?
An alternate reason behind Mike’s face tattoo
According to Mike, he wanted to get flowers tattooed on his face, but Victor Perez, the tattoo artist, stopped him from doing that. Instead, Perez suggested Mike get the tribal tattoo he is known for today. However, there might be an alternate story behind Mike getting a tattoo. One that is unexpected but comes from someone Mike worked with very closely.
Jeff Fenech, Mike’s trainer in his lead-up to the fight against Clifford Etienne in 2003, offers an alternate reason behind Mike’s tattoo. According to an article published by FoxSports, Fenech claimed Mike got the tattoo because he did not want to fight Etienne. He further added that Mike one day did not come for training because he went to get a tattoo. Following this incident, Fenech walked out of Mike’s training camp because he was upset with Mike’s decision. Despite this, Mike went on to win the fight against Etienne. But it was the last fight Mike won before he retired from boxing.