''Tyson'' is a 1995 American

biographical drama A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudrama films and histo ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

based on the life of American

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

Iron Mike Tyson. Directed by

Uli Edel Ulrich "Uli" Edel (; born 11 April 1947) is a German film and television director, best known for his work on films such as ''Last Exit to Brooklyn'', '' Body of Evidence'' and '' The Baader Meinhof Complex.'' His '' Rasputin: Dark Servant of ...

and written by Robert Johnson, it stars

Michael Jai White Michael Jai White (born November 10, 1967) is an American actor, martial artist, and director. Though he has appeared in a variety of genres, White is best known for his Action film, action and martial arts films. His first major starring role an ...

as Tyson alongside

George C. Scott George Campbell Scott (October 18, 1927 – September 22, 1999) was an American actor. He had a celebrated career on both stage and screen. With a gruff demeanor and commanding presence, Scott became known for his portrayal of stern but complex ...

Cus D'Amato Constantine "''Cus''" D'Amato (January 17, 1908 – November 4, 1985) was an American boxing manager, boxing Promoter (entertainment), promoter and boxing Boxing training, trainer who handled the careers of Mike Tyson, Floyd Patterson, and José ...

and

Paul Winfield Paul Edward Winfield (May 22, 1939 – March 7, 2004) was an American actor. He was known for his portrayal of a Louisiana sharecropper who struggles to support his family during the Great Depression in the landmark film '' Sounder'' (1972), whi ...

Don King Donald King (born August 20, 1931) is an American boxing promoter, known for his involvement in several historic boxing matchups. King's career highlights include, among multiple other enterprises, promoting "The Rumble in the Jungle" and the ...

. The film is an adaptation of the 1989 biography ''Fire and Fear: The Inside Story of Iron Mike Tyson'' by José Torres, a former boxer and former chairman of the

New York State Athletic Commission The New York State Athletic Commission or NYSAC, also known as the New York Athletic Commission, is a division of the New York State Department of State which regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of New York ...

, and depicts events from Tyson's troubled childhood in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

through his conviction in 1992 for the rape of

beauty pageant A beauty pageant is a competition in which the contestants are judged and ranked based on various physical and mental attributes. Per its name, beauty pageants traditionally focus on judging the contestants' physical attractiveness, sometimes sol ...

contestant Desiree Washington. The film first aired on

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

on April 29, 1995.

Plot

Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1985 and 2024. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "the Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson i ...

grows up a troubled youth, who aspires to become a professional boxer. Manager and trainer

begins turning the young Tyson into an undefeated fighter. However, Tyson becomes a difficult pupil who is often exposed, and slacks off during his training. D'Amato surrounds Tyson with boxing managers

Jimmy Jacobs Christopher Scoville (born February 17, 1984) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Jimmy Jacobs. He is best known for his 12-year career in Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is a List of ROH Wor ...

Bill Cayton William D'Arcy Cayton (June 6, 1918 – October 4, 2003) was a boxing promoter and manager. Clients included Mike Tyson, who sued him, yet retained him as manager when the two settled the lawsuit four years later, in 1988. Cayton also acted as ...

, and trainer Kevin Rooney to help rebuild the boxer's life. D'Amato tells Tyson that as long as he keeps good people nearby, they can keep him out of trouble. Tyson quickly rises through the ranks, but becomes upset when D'Amato's health deteriorates, and he dies. Jacobs then takes over as Tyson's manager. In 1986, Tyson takes part in the match against Trevor Berbick in Las Vegas at the

World Boxing Council The World Boxing Council (WBC) is an international professional boxing organization. It is among the four major organizations which sanction professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation ...

heavyweight championship. At twenty years of age, Tyson wins, and becomes the youngest champion in boxing history. In 1987, the match against Tony Tucker takes place, in which Tyson wins, and retains his title. Tyson marries his pregnant girlfriend, actress

Robin Givens Robin Givens (born November 27, 1964) is an American actress and director. Givens played Darlene Merriman in the ABC sitcom '' Head of the Class'' in 1986, and remained on the series for its five year duration. Her troubled marriage to boxer ...

. The event is followed by the sad news of Jacobs' death due to

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

. Cayton takes on the job of managing Tyson.

seeks Tyson with an offer to manage his career. Tyson declines, but decided to hire King as his new promoter instead. A battle of words flies between King, Givens, and Cayton in the media, as they accuse each other of swindling Tyson. When Robin suffers a miscarriage, Tyson slacks off during his training. Rooney, in a fit of frustration, tells him that Robin was never pregnant to begin with. Tyson in response knocks out two of his training fighters. In 1988, the match against Michael Spinks takes place. Before the match, Cayton learns that he has been fired. Tyson defeats Spinks and everyone cheers on, but Cayton and Rooney are not on the same page. During a television interview with

Barbara Walters Barbara Jill Walters (September 25, 1929December 30, 2022) was an American broadcast journalist and television personality. Known for her interviewing ability and popularity with viewers, she appeared as a host of numerous television programs, ...

, Robin unintentionally embarrasses Tyson with his mental health issues. Meanwhile, police arrive at the home where Robin lives, and where Tyson is throwing a temper tantrum. Robin tells the press that Tyson has become an emotionally abusive husband. She moves out and files for divorce. In Tokyo, on February 11, 1990, the match against Buster Douglas takes place. Tyson fights hard, but the match ends with

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals * Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking * Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil ...

victorious over Tyson by knockout. In 1991, Tyson is brought to trial for raping beauty pageant contestant, Desiree Washington. He is convicted of rape and criminally deviant conduct, and sentenced to six years in prison, which is served at the Indiana Youth Center. Rooney files a suit against Tyson for

civil damages At common law, damages are a remedy in the form of a monetary award to be paid to a claimant as compensation for loss or injury. To warrant the award, the claimant must show that a breach of duty has caused foreseeable loss. To be recognized at ...

. Upon release in 1995, Tyson announces that he will attempt a comeback. King remains his promoter, but is scheduled to stand trial for

insurance fraud Insurance fraud is any intentional act committed to deceive or mislead an insurance company during the application or claims process, or the wrongful denial of a legitimate claim by an insurance company. It occurs when a claimant knowingly attem ...

Cast

Awards and nominations

''Tyson'' was nominated for the 1996

NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. The over 40 ...

for Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special. The award went to another HBO film, ''

The Tuskegee Airmen ''The Tuskegee Airmen'' is a 1995 HBO television movie based on the exploits of an actual groundbreaking unit, the first African-American combat pilots in the United States Army Air Corps, that fought in World War II. The film was directed by ...

''.

Reception

The movie received mixed reviews from critics.

Video releases

''Tyson'' was released on VHS on January 13, 1998. A DVD release followed years later, on June 16, 2008.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tyson 1995 television films 1995 films 1995 drama films 1990s American films 1990s biographical drama films 1990s English-language films 1990s sports drama films American biographical drama films American boxing films American drama television films American sports drama films Biographical films about sportspeople American biographical television films Cultural depictions of Mike Tyson Films based on biographies Films directed by Uli Edel Films scored by Stewart Copeland Films set in the 1980s Films set in Brooklyn Films set in Indiana Films set in the Las Vegas Valley HBO Films films Sports television films Television films based on books English-language biographical drama films English-language sports drama films