The decision to get the face tattoo would be emblematic of this ultimately troubled period of Tyson’s life, and reflect on his future choices. In the years since Tyson retired, he’s more or less rehabilitated his public image as a troubled brute by being open in interviews, with self-deprecating humor, and getting involved in some cheesy B-movies, such as 2017’s legendarily cringetastic China Salesmen (prepare to facepalm your way through the fight with Stephen Seagal, viewable on YouTube). Tyson has started his own weed empire, Tyson Holistic, which, according to the Sun, earns more than $675,000 a month. Tyson himself reportedly cuts into his profit margins quite a bit by consuming (with his friends) $40,000’s worth every month at his Tyson Ranch in Mojave Desert, as Marketwatch says. He’s also talked about building a cannabis-themed resort.
Paul, a social media star (and nuisance), has gained an immense following by doing pranks and other stupid things on YouTube and Vine (RIP). His foray into boxing has arguably reignited some excitement around the sport.
“Honored to have @miketyson grace our small town academy, @verdevalleybjj . His Training Camp for @jakepaul vs @miketyson began under our roofl,” Keenan wrote on Instagram alongside a pic of him with his arm around Tyson, with the singer’s wife, Lei Li Keenan, on the other side. “Gonna be bragging about that for a bit. Long after y’all are tired of hearing about it. Deal w it,” Keenan added. A second shot featured Tyson and Keenan posing in the middle of the gym floor.
Jermell Charlo was the undisputed champion but has been stripped of all four of his titles as he hasn’t competed at 154 pounds since May 2022. That opened the door for Madrimov and Kurbanov to compete in their first title bout.
In 2012, Zhang starred next to Cecilia Cheung and Jang Dong-gun in the Chinese-Korean co-production Dangerous Liaisons, an adaptation of the French novel Les Liaisons dangereuses, narrating Shanghai of the 1930s. Zhang was reportedly paid 20 million RMB (approximately $3.5 million) for the role. The same year, she was cast in the coming-of-age film Forever Young directed and written by Li Fangfang. The film premiered in January 2018.
He said: “I just thought it was a cool tattoo. I was going to get a bunch of hearts and stuff. That would have been really stupid. I was going to be the man of hearts, baby. I was very close. Victor Perez, the tattoo artist, said, I ain’t doing that. I can’t do that.
On March 7, 2024, it was announced that Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions had partnered to host an event headlined by Paul facing former undisputed heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson on July 20 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The event will be streamed globally exclusively on Netflix.
Tyson’s new, mellowed state has finally allowed him to get real about his decision to get the tattoo. It boils down to caprice that reflects his drug-addled period. In an interview from 2012, posted on YouTube, Tyson states that he was intending to get “a bunch of hearts and stuff” on his face because he wanted to be known as “The Man of Hearts.” Tyson’s tattoo artist, Victor Perez, straight-up refused, and instead drafted some tribal patterns. “I just thought it was so hot,” Tyson says. “I would be in these dens, these clubs and strip places sometimes and all the girls said ‘oh you are very exotic, where are you from?'”
Each tattoo narrates a chapter of his saga. With Paul mimicking Tyson’s facial ink, questions arise. Is it mockery, homage, or strategy? As the fight looms, the symbolism of Tyson’s tattoos becomes a focal point. What stories do they tell?
In 2022, Paul was scheduled to face Fury for August 6 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, but Fury withdrew once again due to travel issues. On July 7, it was announced that Paul would face American professional boxer Hasim Rahman Jr., however, the event was canceled on July 30 due to weight issues from Rahman.
The YouTuber-turned-prizefighter then pulled off another quote from Tyson’s illustrious career. After dismantling Lou Savarese just 38 seconds into their fight, Tyson had called himself the “best ever” and compared himself to Alexander the Great. On similar lines, Paul exclaimed, “I’m the most brutal, vicious, and most ruthless champion there’s ever been… My style is impetuous. My defense is impregnable… I want your heart. I want to eat his children. On the 20th, I’ll come out victorious, I promise you.”
“This is what we’re site here for, we’re professional fighters. We came to entertain the crowd and we did it. I hope everyone enjoyed my performance. Thank you to everyone who came here today and witnessed my greatness in front of Chinese social media.”
“I’m open to everything but I am focusing on the gym and being in the ring for my return. I would like to have my next fight to be in Saudi Arabia, but everything is being worked on and is in the process. I can’t say too much about it.”