''Tyson'' is a 1995 American television film based on the life of American

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...

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 (film), ''Last Exit to Brooklyn'' and ''Body of Evidence (1993 film), Body of Evidence.'' His ''Ra ...

, it stars

Michael Jai White Michael Jai White (born November 10, 1967) is an American actor, director and martial artist. He was the first African American to portray a major comic book superhero in a major motion picture, starring as Al Simmons, the protagonist in the 1997 ...

as Tyson alongside

George C. Scott George Campbell Scott (October 18, 1927 – September 22, 1999) was an American actor, director, and producer who had a celebrated career on both stage and screen. With a gruff demeanor and commanding presence, Scott became known for his port ...

Cus D'Amato Constantine "Cus" D'Amato (January 17, 1908 – November 4, 1985) was an Italian-American boxing manager and trainer who handled the careers of Mike Tyson, Floyd Patterson, and José Torres, all of whom went on to be inducted into the Internation ...

and

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

Don King Donald King (born August 20, 1931) is an American boxing Promoter (entertainment), promoter, known for his involvement in several historic boxing matchups. He has been a controversial figure, partly due to a manslaughter conviction and civil cas ...

. The film is an adaptation of the 1989 book ''Fire and Fear: The Inside Story of Iron Mike Tyson'' by

José Torres José ("Chegüi") Torres (May 3, 1936 – January 19, 2009) was a Puerto Rican-born American professional boxer. As an amateur boxer, he won a silver medal in the junior middleweight division at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. In 1965, he ...

, 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 borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

through his conviction in 1992 for the rape of

beauty pageant A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, ...

contestant Desiree Washington. The film first aired on

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, 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 ba ...

on April 29, 1995.

Plot

Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson is cons ...

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 wrestler, better known by his ring name Jimmy Jacobs. He was recently signed to Impact Wrestling as a member of the creative team and producer. He is best known for his 1 ...

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 a ...

, 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 may refer to: Animals * Australasian robins, red-breasted songbirds of the family Petroicidae * Many members of the subfamily Saxicolinae (Old World chats), including: **European robin (''Erithacus rubecula'') ** Bush-robin **Forest ro ...

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

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in 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 (born September 25, 1929) is an American broadcast journalist and television personality. Known for her interviewing ability and popularity with viewers, Walters appeared as a host of numerous television programs, including ...

, 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 W ...

victorious over Tyson by knockout. In 1991, Tyson is brought to trial for raping beauty pageant contestant,

Desiree Washington Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson is cons ...

. He is convicted of rape and criminally deviant conduct, and sentenced to six years in prison, which is served at the

Indiana Youth Center Plainfield Correctional Facility is a prison for men of the Indiana Department of Correction located in Plainfield, Indiana. The facility opened in 1969 as the Indiana Youth Center. As of 2016, the prison housed 1,659 inmates, and employed 333 s ...

. 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 recognised 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 act committed to defraud an insurance process. It occurs when a claimant attempts to obtain some benefit or advantage they are not entitled to, or when an insurer knowingly denies some benefit that is due. According to the ...

Cast

as Constantine "Cus" D'Amato *

as Mike "Iron Mike" Tyson ** Regal Hanley as Young Mike Tyson *

James Sikking James Barrie Sikking (born March 5, 1934) is a former American actor, most known for his role as Lt. Howard Hunter on the 1980s TV series ''Hill Street Blues''. Early years Sikking was born in Los Angeles on March 5, 1934 to Andy and Sue (né ...

Malcolm-Jamal Warner Malcolm-Jamal Warner (born August 18, 1970) is an American actor. He rose to prominence for his role as Theodore Huxtable on the NBC sitcom ''The Cosby Show'', which earned him a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series a ...

as Rory Holloway *

Tony Lo Bianco Anthony LoBianco (born October 19, 1936) is an Italian-American film, stage, and television actor. Born to first-generation Italian American parents in New York City, Lo Bianco began his career in theater, and appeared in several Broadway prod ...

Clark Gregg Robert Clark Gregg Jr. (born April 2, 1962) is an American actor, director, and screenwriter. He is best known for playing Agent Phil Coulson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films '' Iron Man'' (2008), ''Iron Man 2'' (2010), ''Thor'' (2011), ' ...

as Kevin Rooney *

Holt McCallany Holt McCallany (born Holt Quinn McAloney; September 3, 1963) is an American actor. He is known for portraying FBI Special Agent Bill Tench on the series '' Mindhunter'' (2017–2019) and has had leading and supporting roles in various television ...

Teddy Atlas Theodore A. "Teddy" Atlas Jr. (born July 29, 1956) is an American boxing trainer and fight commentator. Early life The son of a doctor, Atlas grew up in a wealthy area of Staten Island, New York City, New York. His mother, Mary Riley Atlas, wa ...

Kristen Wilson Kristen Wilson (born September 4, 1969) is a former American actress, best known as Miranda DuBaer in '' Twitches'' and '' Twitches Too'' and as Lisa Dolittle in the films ''Dr. Dolittle'', '' Dr. Dolittle 2'', and '' Dr. Dolittle 3''. Early li ...

* Sheila Wills as Ruth Roper *

Lilyan Chauvin Lilyan Chauvin (; ; 6 August 192526 June 2008) was a French-American actress, television host, director, writer, and acting teacher. A native of Paris, Chauvin began her career performing on French radio and onstage in England. She relocated to t ...

as Camille Ewald *

Rebekah Johnson Rebecca Johnson, also credited as Rebekah and Rebecca Jordan, is an American singer-songwriter and actress from Ohio. She wrote the song "Beautiful Disaster" for Kelly Clarkson. Rebecca's own music is a mix of pop, jazz, soul, and americana. R ...

as Desiree Washington *

Reg E. Cathey Reginald Eurias Cathey (August 18, 1958 – February 9, 2018) was an American character actor. He was best known for his roles as Norman Wilson in ''The Wire'', Martin Querns in '' Oz'', the game show announcer in ''Square One Television'', Dr. ...

as Michael Winston * June Chandler as

Michael Jace Michael Andrew Jace (born July 13, 1962) is an American convicted murderer and former character actor, best known for his role as Los Angeles Police Officer Julien Lowe in the FX drama ''The Shield''. He also played Andre Tibbs, an ex-convict m ...

Mitch Green Mitch Green (born January 13, 1957) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 2005. He is best known for having The distance (boxing), gone the distance with Mike Tyson in 1986, who was undefeated at the time, and had wo ...

Duane Davis Duane Davis is an American actor who has been in such films as ''Under Siege'', '' The Program'', ''Ghosts of Mars'', and ''Paparazzi''. Early life Davis was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and is the son of NFL Hall of Fame defensive end Willie D ...

as James "Buster" Douglas *

Mills Lane Mills Bee Lane III (November 12, 1937 – December 6, 2022) was an American boxing referee and professional boxer, a two-term Washoe County, Nevada district court judge, and television personality. Lane was best known for having officiated sev ...

as Himself *

Larry Merchant Larry Merchant (born Larry Kaufman; February 11, 1931) is an American sportswriter, a longtime commentator for HBO sports presentations of ''HBO World Championship Boxing'', ''Boxing After Dark'' and HBO pay-per-view telecasts, called "the great ...

as Himself *

Chuck Hull Chuck Hull (Charles W. Hull; born May 12, 1939) is the co-founder, executive vice president and chief technology officer of 3D Systems. He is one of the inventors of the SLA 3D printer, the first commercial rapid prototyping technology, and ...

as Himself

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. Similar to ...

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 in television, 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 ...

''.

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 1990s biographical drama films American biographical drama films American boxing films Films set in the 1980s Biographical films about sportspeople HBO Films films Cultural depictions of Mike Tyson Films scored by Stewart Copeland 1990s American films