Xchoboomer

I was driving home last night and I couldnt help but be consumed by thoughts of a story I heard on Tuesday regarding Mike Tyson’s four year old baby girl. I was horrified when I heard the news about her accidentally hanging herself from a treadmill. Talk about a freak accident! What a tragedy!

I was a kid when Tyson took the boxing world by storm. I can still remember staying up late playing Mike Tysons Punch Out on the original Nintendo and trying to emulate those devastating first round KO’s but what sticks in my mind is the shock I remember feeling when I had heard Tyson had lost to Buster Douglas in Japan. I didnt see that fight but I remember where I was when I heard the news. I was in a little neighborhood Ace hardware type store when the store owner had been listening to it on the radio. I remember him and my dad and another customer exchange their thoughts about it that morning.  And then it just seemed to be downhill from there for him. The public divorce with Robin Givens, the Holyfield ear bite, the rape conviction and prison time.

Now I’ve always been a fan,  but after watching some of James Tobacks’ flicks with Tyson such as Black and White and a commentary I seen of Toback talking about Tyson and there relationship I felt that it captured part of his essence and I looked at Tyson in a whole different light after that.  I heard about a Toback documentary on Tyson but I haven’t got around to checking it out yet. I will!

It was just days ago when I seen Tyson on TV at the UFC fights in Vegas and thought, wow, Tyson looks like hes really enjoying himself and looked almost on top of the world again. After all that hes been through, losses, divorce, and prison, there he was Mike Tyson, back in Vegas, ringside at a huge MMA fight with a big smile across his face.  It was good to see.  And to think hours later his world come crashing down again.  And how could anyone recover from something so tragic as this? His little girl…  Don’t let this crush you! Bounce back like you always do!