ABC News will air a new documentary series on the rise to fame of boxer Mike Tyson, as well as all that has happened since.
In the first trailer for Mike Tyson: The Knockout, a voiceover says, “Mike is a complicated individual.”
Starting with his upbringing in Brooklyn, New York, Tyson and his peers recount “the climb, the crash and the comeback” of his boxing career.
From 1987 to 1990, Tyson, now 54, was the undisputed world heavyweight champion. At the age of 20, he became the youngest player to win the title.
Actress Rosie Perez, who was often called the “First Lady of Boxing,” says in the trailer, “Mike Tyson was called the baddest man on the planet because he was the baddest man on the planet.”
Tyson’s personal life will also be examined in the four-hour series, which has been marred by controversy, including allegations that he was physically abusive by his first wife, Robin Givens.
On Oprah Winfrey’s show in 2009, Tyson admitted, “I have socked her before, and she socked me before, as well. It was just that kind of relationship.”
Tyson’s legal troubles have included a 1992 rape conviction for which he spent three years in jail, chewing off a slice of Evander Holyfield’s ear during a 1997 rematch, a 1999 prison term for assaulting two motorists, and a short stint in 2007 for drug abuse and driving under the influence, among others.
Executive producer Geoffrey Fletcher said, “In addition to being an inspiring story of the perseverance and hard-won growth of one extraordinary person, Mike Tyson’s life and career are also relevant to the important collective self-reflection finally occurring in America.”
The two-part primetime special also features ABC News archival footage and never-before-seen interviews with Tyson.
In the trailer, interviewer Byron Pitts asks Tyson what he would say to his 20-year-old self if he could. Tyson responds, “It’s gonna hurt, it’s gonna hurt bad. It’s gonna really hurt.”
Tyson will also talk about where he is with his career right now. Tyson fought former heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition match at Staples Center in Los Angeles last winter, which was Tyson’s first fight in 15 years. After his and Jones Jr.’s match ended in a draw, he left the door open for another.
He told PEOPLE ahead of the match that he’s been working on his overall mental health in recent years, in addition to spending time in the gym.
“I work on trying to be grateful, I really work hard at that. That’s my goal in life,” Tyson said at the time. “It’s almost like reaching my favorite me. Every few years, I get better with the goal of being the best me I can be.”
Mike Tyson: The Knockout will premiere on ABC, Tuesday, May 25, at 8 p.m. EST, with the second installment airing at the same time on June 1.
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