Rachael A. Carmen et al. in the Review of General Psychology posit that Tyson’s face tattoo may be an example of “body ornamentation as a form of intimidation”. Charlie Connell and Edmund Sullivan in Inked describe it as having become “instantly iconic”, while Vice’s Mitchell Sunderland ranks it as one of the two things Tyson is best known for, alongside biting off part of Evander Holyfield’s ear. Marie Hadley, in A History of Intellectual Property in 50 Objects, writes that the tattoo “has been described as one of the most distinctive tattoos in North America”. Its stature has increased over time, aided by Tyson and the 2009 comedy The Hangover, in which it is prominent on Tyson, who appears as a fictionalized version of himself. The tattoo has become strongly associated with Tyson and has made his persona more distinctive.

On the 20th February, 1999, Felix Trinidad defended the welterweight championship against the already legendary defensive fighter Pernell Whitaker. Whitaker’s career may have been coming to an end but he was still a force to be reckoned with and it took a much younger, much stronger Felix Trinidad to be the first to comprehensively defeat him. Felix Trinidad winning by unanimous decision 117–111, 118–109 and 118–109 on the judges scorecards.

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – FEBRUARY 26: Former Boxer Mike Tyson looks on prior to the Cruiserweight Title fight between Jake Paul and Tommy Fury at the Diriyah Arena on February 26, 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)

The 27-year-old Paul, meanwhile, has transitioned from YouTube to professional 168 boxing division and has won nine of his 10 fights. His only defeat came against Tommy Fury, the younger half-brother of heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, in February 2023.

Everyone knows Mike Tyson really cherishes his face tattoo, right? But guess what? The guy who actually inked it, S. Victor Whitmill, seems to love it even more. He even went ahead and sued Warner Bros. over them using it without his permission! Crazy, huh?

On July 30, 2004, Tyson had a match against British boxer Danny Williams in another comeback fight, and this time, staged in Louisville, Kentucky. Tyson dominated the opening two rounds. The third round was even, with Williams getting in some clean blows and also a few illegal ones, for which he was penalized. In the fourth round, Tyson was unexpectedly knocked out. After the fight, it was revealed that Tyson was trying to fight on one leg, having torn a ligament in his other knee in the first round. This was Tyson’s fifth career defeat. He underwent surgery for the ligament four days after the fight. His manager, Shelly Finkel, claimed that Tyson was unable to throw significant right-hand punches since he had a knee injury.

Tyson got his face tattoo from artist S. Victor Whitmill of Las Vegas, Nevada, shortly before Tyson’s 2003 fight with Clifford Etienne (which would be his 50th and last victory), having previously suggested that he would get a face tattoo if he won Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson. Tyson had originally wanted hearts (which he “just thought … were cool” ), but, according to Tyson, Whitmill refused and worked for a few days on a new design. Whitmill proposed a tribal design inspired by tā moko, a Māori tattoo style. The design is not based on any specific moko and was created directly on Tyson’s face. Tyson saw the tattoo as representing the Māori, whom he described as a “warrior tribe”, and approved of the design, which consists of monochrome spiral shapes above and below his left eye. According to Tyson, it was his idea to use two curved figures rather than one.

Tyson and Ruddock met again on June 28 that year, with Tyson knocking down Ruddock twice and winning a twelve-round unanimous decision 113–109, 114–108, and 114–108. A fight between Tyson and Holyfield for the undisputed championship was scheduled for November 8, 1991, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, but Tyson pulled out after sustaining a rib cartilage injury during training.

But still, the health scare might have been a warning to cancel the fight and not pursue a new date. That’s just one reason, even before Iron Mike’s age, puts him at risk of developing brain trauma. While we don’t know the extent suffered, we do know that Tyson used psychedelics to improve the quality of his life.

He dreams of following in the footsteps of iconic Hall of Famer Miguel Cotto, though Zayas had this to say about comparisons between him and the great man: “It’s an honour for me. I respect all the Puerto Rican legends that came before me, but I don’t see myself wanting to compare with other people.

“My sights are set on becoming a world champion, and now I have a chance to prove myself against the greatest heavyweight champion ever, the baddest man on the planet and the most dangerous boxer of all time. This will be the fight of a lifetime.”

Know of boxing’s consensus favorite heavyweight and youngest champ Mike Tyson? Sure you do. Do you know that he is facing a 9-1 (6KOs) YouTuber boxer next? You just might. Did you know he has 44 career knockouts till now? Or that he once bit a peer’s ear off during a bout? That is a famed affair. What about his iconic face tattoo? Of all the above, that stands out as his selling point.