Mike Tyson Tells All, Should We Care to Listen?

Mike Tyson may not be fighting anymore, but he’s still speaking his mind. As history has shown, that can be good, bad or ugly. In the new documentary entitled Tyson, it appears that all three adjectives are appropriate.  The film has received a decent reception at the Cannes Film Festival in France.  I am sure that the sordid details of Tyson’s often troubling life will elicit sympathy as well as disgust.  The question is: should we care to watch?

I will. 

I will watch because, like you, I am a boxing fan and always welcome video footage of vintage Tyson knocking someone out.  I know it sounds cruel, but I know I am not alone here.  Secondly, I am searching for answers to the following question: "what on earth was he thinking?"  Specifically, what was going through Tyson’s mind when he bit Evander Holyfield’s ears; while he sat "zombie-like" next to Robin Givens as she humiliated him on the Barbara Walters show nearly twenty years ago, or what drove him to bite Lennox Lewis’s leg at a pre-fight press conference?  I do not know about you, but I would hope this film sheds some light.

From witnessing him destroy a petrified Michael Spinks in 91 seconds for the unified heavyweight title or watching him participate in WrestleMania, Mike Tyson has always had an uncanny ability get me to pay attention to what he is doing.  He was once quoted as saying that, "more people would watch me (Tyson) relieve myself than watch Lennox Lewis fight."  As silly as the statement sounds on the surface, the point is clear. When it is available on Netflix, I’ll be ordering the documentary Tyson.  I have a sneaking suspicion that you will too.