Not only did he become the youngest heavyweight champion in history in 1986 at the age of 20, he also rocketed boxing back into mainstream popularity. There's no denying that Tyson's life story is fascinating, and his significance to sports history is indisputable. From the illustrated recreations of scenes from Tyson's heartbreaking childhood to the empathetic input from the people who covered him, knew him and admired him, its four hours roll out as an appreciation instead of an unblinking evaluation. By that point even the man's most vociferous critics may find themselves swept up in the intoxicating apologia of it all. 'Whether it was his fault or not, he's been through enough,' says Perez, Academy Award nominee, near the end of the special's second half. Tyson's explosive rage was the product of his being raised in a crime-ridden neighborhood and abject poverty, says everyone from reporters to trainers to actress Rosie Perez (who is at various points identified as a 'boxing aficionado' and as someone who originates from Bushwick, Brooklyn, among other descriptors). Tyson's life story includes multiple stints in lockup as a youth before his 1992 conviction for the rape of Desiree Washington in Indianapolis, where she was competing as Miss Black Rhode Island in the Miss Black America pageant in July 1991.īut the violence he committed before his boxing career and during it is presented via the framing of reasons as opposed to excuses. 'The Knockout' favors the first view without eliding Tyson's crimes and misdemeanors which, in his case, would be impossible. Do you view him as one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century and fearless tiger cuddler? Or do you associate Tyson with spousal abuse and the rape of an 18-year-old pageant contestant? Which side you identify with depends on which chapter of the man's history comes to mind at the mention of his name. Tyson's life story is an odd one, and his image overhaul may be one of the most curious cases of our time – although for some, it is less curious than irritating. Tyson's mental health and his boxing record deteriorated before our eyes, and soon as many people treated his pain like a sideshow as had cheered his return. Americans love a comeback almost as much as they love a fall, and when he bit off a chunk of Evander Holyfield's ear during a 1997 rematch he became a national joke. The public tacitly forgave Tyson long before that, an absolution earned by way of his return to boxing following his rape conviction.

In terms of Tyson, much of the world definitively answered that question more than a decade ago, celebrating his surprising cameo 2009's 'The Hangover.' ABC News' two-part documentary ' Mike Tyson: The Knockout' inadvertently answers the question of how men accused of misconduct against women can make a comeback without sufficiently interrogating whether they deserve one.

Supermind tv shows with mike tyson