(Video courtesy of ESPN.com)
Yesterday, Mike Tyson was interviewed on ESPN 2’s Friday Night Fights program and announced that he was joining Acquinity Sports, a two year-old promotional company. Ostensibly, it means that the former boxing champ and the youngest man to ever win the heavyweight crown is now a promoter.
There is no real telling yet how much of a role Tyson will have in the promotion beyond certainly being the face of it, but he said in the interview that he plans to be ‘hands-on.’ Tyson, of course, was allegedly robbed blind and poor by handler and promoter Don King.
‘Iron Mike’ said that he hopes to help young fighters signed to his promotion by making sure that everything is on ‘the up and up.’ We hope he does as no one is really better suited to share cautionary tales with fighters.
“I’d hate to see fighters end up like me…like wow, ‘what happened?'” Tyson said of the pitfalls of “not planning your life,” and “trusting the wrong people.”
Tyson also goes on to talk about his one-man stage show and his foundation to help young people. As with most Tyson interviews, the embattled former champ manages to fit in an incredibly amount of apparent honesty, openness and plain-spoken and painfully-earned wisdom. The interview is worth a watch.
What do you think, nation? Will Tyson have a direct hand in the business of this boxing promotion and thereby be able to truly help make his corner of the boxing world a cleaner and less exploitative one? Or, will Tyson’s name and likeness simply be used by his business partners to make a dime and keep the fight business going as usual?
– Elias Cepeda
(Video courtesy of ESPN.com)
Yesterday, Mike Tyson was interviewed on ESPN 2′s Friday Night Fights program and announced that he was joining Acquinity Sports, a two year-old promotional company. Ostensibly, it means that the former boxing champ and the youngest man to ever win the heavyweight crown is now a promoter.
There is no real telling yet how much of a role Tyson will have in the promotion beyond certainly being the face of it, but he said in the interview that he plans to be ‘hands-on.’ Tyson, of course, was allegedly robbed blind and poor by handler and promoter Don King.
‘Iron Mike’ said that he hopes to help young fighters signed to his promotion by making sure that everything is on ‘the up and up.’ We hope he does as no one is really better suited to share cautionary tales with fighters.
“I’d hate to see fighters end up like me…like wow, ‘what happened?’” Tyson said of the pitfalls of “not planning your life,” and “trusting the wrong people.”
Tyson also goes on to talk about his one-man stage show and his foundation to help young people. As with most Tyson interviews, the embattled former champ manages to fit in an incredibly amount of apparent honesty, openness and plain-spoken and painfully-earned wisdom. The interview is worth a watch.
What do you think, nation? Will Tyson have a direct hand in the business of this boxing promotion and thereby be able to truly help make his corner of the boxing world a cleaner and less exploitative one? Or, will Tyson’s name and likeness simply be used by his business partners to make a dime and keep the fight business going as usual?
– Elias Cepeda