Mike Tyson Had to Write An $8 Million Settlement Check To a Fan He Assaulted
In his prime, Mike Tyson was known for being one of the most dominant boxers of all time. He was a generous person who gave away over a dozen cars and took his friends on yacht trips around the world, but he had another side as well. He could also be a volatile and violent person that would attack people for no good reason and often ended up in trouble because of this.
On multiple occasions, Tyson assaulted fans and random people for seemingly benign offenses, such as asking for an autograph or wanting to take a picture. His short temper caught up with him, and he began shelling out millions of dollars in settlements to those he attacked. In fact, one settlement he reached was an astronomical $8 million in total.
Mike Tyson was a powerful puncher
Tyson was an extremely strong boxer that dominated the industry for over a decade. Becoming a heavyweight champion at only 20 years old, Tyson made a name for himself as one of the most feared punchers in the sport. Of his 50 career wins, 44 of them came by way of knockout.
The boxer’s immense strength came from his solid technique; he would use his hips and leg power to thrust as he punched, packing crazy force into his uppercuts and hooks. Tyson became so proficient at 1st round knockouts that he’d get a bonus of $200,000 every time he successfully ended a match early.
The former champion had a short temper
Tyson was infamous for having a volatile temper. From an early age, Tyson struggled to control his emotions and frequently got into trouble; he was arrested numerous times for fighting and robbery, and actually met his first trainer while he was at Tryon School for Boys, a reform school for troubled youth, according to Sports Illustrated.
His reckless behavior continued into his adult years, and he got into several violent encounters with people on the street. One of Tyson’s most notorious incidents was a street fight with Mitch Green, a boxer he had beaten in a match two years prior. During the brawl, he punched Green’s eye shut and cut his nose open; Tyson went home with a broken hand.
Tyson paid many millions in settlements to people he assaulted
Tyson’s tendency to punch people on the streets didn’t stop at just other boxers; he also had a tendency to hit fans that would approach him for autographs and pictures. Unfortunately, these incidents led to him being sued for millions of dollars on numerous occasions. During an interview with Terry Crews on his Hotboxin’ podcast, Tyson recalls paying between $4 million and $8 million to fans on several occasions.
“I was that guy, trippin’, hitting people ‘cause they’re f—ing with me too much for autographs, I f—ing knocked ‘em out or something, or break their f—ing jaw,” he said. “I started signing those checks and that’s what broke my spirit … these guys getting $4 million, I don’t even know these guys! $8 million, I don’t even know these—who are these guys!?”
Luckily, Tyson managed to change his ways and appears to be living a more peaceful lifestyle.
