Tyson review – deeply icky … and that’s before Trump shows up
This peculiar – some would say truly irresponsible – hagiography of boxing superstar Mike Tyson veers from psychedelics and sobbing to the inadvisable face tattoo via a cameo from the US president Netflix’s new four-parter on Mike Tyson is one of the strangest sports documentaries it has ever released, or maybe just one of its strangest documentaries full stop. The streamer has form in sporting hagiographies – tales…
Key points
- Netflix's four-part docuseries Tyson is criticized as a lopsided and irresponsible portrayal of Mike Tyson.
- The series includes Donald Trump defending Tyson's truthfulness and blaming the media for his troubles.
- It ends with Tyson taking the hallucinogenic drug DMT while sobbing and inviting the director to join him.
Netflix has released a four-part docuseries on boxing champion Mike Tyson, titled Tyson. A review in The Guardian calls it one of the strangest sports documentaries the streamer has ever released, describing it as deeply icky and truly irresponsible.
The series covers Tyson's rise from poverty in Brownsville, Brooklyn, to heavyweight champion, but also delves into controversial aspects of his past, including his marriage to Robin Givens and his rape conviction.
What the series covers
The docuseries begins with Tyson's difficult upbringing and his discovery by coach Bobby Stewart at a juvenile detention center. At 13, he was introduced to manager Cus D'Amato, who predicted he would become heavyweight champion. Lennox Lewis recalls Tyson's early sparring intensity, saying Tyson 'just ran over to me and took my head off!'
It also explores Tyson's short-lived marriage to actor Robin Givens. Her mother told journalist Wallace Matthews that Tyson was beating her daughter. Tyson did not deny attacking her but said he didn't hurt her and that 'we fought.' Givens later denied being beaten. Tyson calls her 'a fucking bitch' in the present day.
It was awesome being young and having all of that attention.
— Mike Tyson
Trump and other reactions
Donald Trump appears in the series, saying Tyson 'is very truthful, and I think the truth hurt him in this case.' He adds that the media was 'rough on Mike, but it just made Mike harder. They're rough on me, and I'm the president!'
Interviewees compare Tyson to Nelson Mandela. Friend and former boxer Tom Patti says, 'You can knock him down, you can say bad things about him, you can take away his freedom, but guess what? [He's] still here.' The series ends with Tyson taking DMT while sobbing and inviting the director to join him.
