Skip to main content
Regional secretary with the National Education Union
‘This is not a tough man’s world; it’s a thinking man’s world’
JOHN WIGHT writes about Mike Tyson’s third act, and how the former heavyweight champion’s life has been a study in redemption and reinvention
Mike Tyson in 2019 [Toglenn / Creative Commons]

“THIS is not a tough man’s world; it’s a thinking man’s world.” So tweeted Mike Tyson recently with words to live by from a man who knows. 

The third act of Mike Tyson’s life has been fascinating to watch. From harrowing times that have included a very ugly divorce from Robin Givens, excessive cocaine use, the frittering away of his fortune, being convicted and imprisoned for rape, and plus and perhaps most notably the accidental death of his four-year-old daughter Exodus in 2009, Tyson has re-emerged to attain the status of entrepreneur with his cannabis farm and brand in California, boxing guru with his Instagram videos of him teaching the sweet science, podcaster, broadcaster and public speaker. He’s even taken part in an exhibition bout with fellow ring legend Roy Jones Jr.

So, yes, the former heavyweight champion’s life has been a study in redemption and reinvention. However not everybody is impressed. In a recent Guardian piece on Tyson, Frank Warren, who once promoted Mike Tyson in the UK — and who was once physically assaulted by him — left no doubt when it comes to what he thinks about the man: ‘“He is a compelling character, and he’s one of those fellas who gets you to feel that he’s misunderstood but, when you get into it, he is what he is, which is a thug and a bully and a misogynist.”

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
Northern Ireland's Kristina O'Hara (left) in action against India's MC Mery Kom at Oxenford Studios during day ten of the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, Australia
Women’s boxing / 18 July 2025
18 July 2025

Mary Kom’s fists made history in the boxing world. Malak Mesleh’s never got the chance. One story ends in glory, the other in grief — but both highlight the defiance of women who dare to fight, writes JOHN WIGHT

Algeria�s Imane Khelif (left) in action against Thailand�s Janjaem Suwannapheng during the Women�s 66kg Semi-Final at Roland-Garros Stadium on the Eleventh day of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in France. Picture date: Tuesday August 6, 2024
Boxing / 4 July 2025
4 July 2025

The Khelif gender row shows no sign of being resolved to the satisfaction of anyone involved anytime soon, says boxing writer JOHN WIGHT

Floyd Patterson
Men’s boxing / 20 June 2025
20 June 2025

When Patterson and Liston met in the ring in 1962, it was more than a title bout — it was a collision of two black archetypes shaped by white America’s fears and fantasies, writes JOHN WIGHT

Law enforcement officers stand guard as demonstrators protest, June 11, 2025, in Los Angeles
Opinion / 13 June 2025
13 June 2025

In the land of white supremacy, colonialism and the foul legacy of the KKK, JOHN WIGHT knows that to resist the fascism unleashed by Trump is to do God’s work

Similar stories
Floyd Patterson
Men’s boxing / 20 June 2025
20 June 2025

When Patterson and Liston met in the ring in 1962, it was more than a title bout — it was a collision of two black archetypes shaped by white America’s fears and fantasies, writes JOHN WIGHT

Cus D'Amato (right) with Floyd Patterson in August 1957
Men's Boxing / 17 January 2025
17 January 2025
JOHN WIGHT writes on legendary boxing trainer and philosopher, Cus D’Amato
Jake Paul lands a left to Mike Tyson during their heavyweigh
Men’s boxing / 22 November 2024
22 November 2024
JOHN WIGHT reacts to last weekend’s bizarre spectacle between the veteran boxer and the upstarting social media influencer in Dallas, Texas
Perspiration flies from the head of George Foreman as he tak
Men’s Boxing / 8 November 2024
8 November 2024
JOHN WIGHT explains how the eighth-round stoppage back in 1974 remains among the most important moments in the entire history of sports