Mike Tyson Family | About Mike Tyson Parents and Siblings.
Michael Gerard Tyson is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. Nicknamed “Iron Mike” and “Kid Dynamite” in his early career, and later known as “The Baddest Man on the Planet”.
A member of street gangs in his youth, Tyson was sent to reform school, where his boxing talent was discovered.
He turned professional in 1985 and won the heavyweight title in 1986 by defeating Trevor Berbick, becoming, at age 20, the youngest heavyweight champion in history.
He defended the title against Larry Holmes, Michael Spinks, and eight others before losing in an upset to James (“Buster”) Douglas in 1990.
In 1992 he was convicted of rape and sentenced to six years in prison; he was released on parole in 1995.
In 1996 he challenged but lost to Evander Holyfield; in a 1997 rematch he was disqualified for biting off a piece of Holyfield’s ear, and his license was revoked.
In 1999 Tyson regained his boxing license and returned to the ring.
In his bout against British heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis in 2002, Lewis twice knocked Tyson to the canvas before knocking him out in the eighth round.
Who is Mike Tyson?
Mike Tyson was born Michael Gerard Tyson on June 30, 1966, in Brooklyn, New York.
When Michael was two years old his father abandoned the family, leaving Lorna to care for Michael and his two siblings, Rodney and Denise.
Struggling financially, the Tyson family moved to Brownsville, Brooklyn, a neighborhood known for its high crime. Small and shy, Tyson was often the target of bullying.
To combat this, he began developing his own style of street fighting, which ultimately transitioned into criminal activity.
His gang, known as the Jolly Stompers, assigned him to clean out cash registers while older members held victims at gunpoint. He was only 11 years old at the time.
He frequently ran into trouble with police over his petty criminal activities, and by the age of 13, he had been arrested more than 30 times.
Tyson’s bad behavior landed him in the Tryon School for Boys, a reform school in upstate New York.
At Tryon, Tyson met counselor Bob Stewart, who had been an amateur boxing champion. Tyson wanted Stewart to teach him how to use his fists.
Stewart reluctantly agreed, on the condition that Tyson would stay out of trouble and work harder in school.
Previously classified as learning disabled, Tyson managed to raise his reading abilities to the seventh-grade level in a matter of months.
He also became determined to learn everything he could about boxing, often slipping out of bed after curfew to practice punches in the dark.
All about Mike Tyson family
Mike Tyson Parents: Who are Mike Tyson’s parents?
Mike Tyson was born to Purcell Tyson (father) and Lorna Smith Tyson (mother) on June 30, 1966, according to his birth certificate.
Purcell hailed from Jamaica whereas his mother was born in Charlottesville, Virginia. Similarly, he was a humble cab driver while Lorna was reportedly a promiscuous woman.
He also mentioned his father in his autobiography as being a mystery for him and his siblings. However, he never met his father in person neither his siblings.
However, Tyson was raised and the man he had known as his father was Jimmy Kirkpatrick. He was told that Jimmy was his biological father, but, he was barely present for them. Tyson said, “My father was just a regular street guy caught up in the street world,”
Mike Tyson father: Who was Jimmy Kirkpatrick?
Jimmy came into the limelight of the media as the father of Mike Tyson. He was from Grier Town, North Carolina, a predominantly black neighborhood that was taken over by the city of Charlotte.
Kirkpatrick was one of the neighborhood’s top baseball players. He was married prior to meeting Tyson’s mother, Lorna Mae (Smith) Tyson.
Similarly, he had a son named Lee Kirkpatrick, who would help to integrate Charlotte high school football in 1965.
In 1959, Jimmy left his family and moved to Brooklyn where he met Lorna. He frequented pool halls, gambled, and hung out on the streets. However, he abandoned the Tyson family around the time Mike was born.
When did Jimmy Kirkpatrick die?
Jimmy is no longer alive among us. He died on October 28, 1992, at the age of 68, in Brooklyn, Kings County, New York, USA.
He was buried at Rosedale and Rosehill Cemetery in Linden, Union County, New Jersey, USA. However, Jimmy’s cause of death hasn’t been disclosed.
Mike Tyson Siblings
Mike Tyson was one of the three children of his parents. He had an elder brother Rodney and a sister Denise who passed away in 1991 due to heart attack.
Additionally, he also had a half-brother Jimmie Lee Kirkpatrick from Kirkpatrick’s earlier marriage.
Mike Tyson Wife
Mike Tyson has been married thrice and has fathered seven children. His first marriage was to actress Robin Givens.
The union did not last more than a year (from February 7, 1988 to February 14, 1989) as the two separated following allegations of violence, spousal abuse and mental instability by Givens on Tyson. The couple had no children.
Tyson then went into the wedlock with Monica Turner. The marriage lasted for five years (from April 19, 1997 to January 14, 2003) after which Turner pursued divorce on grounds of adultery. The couple had two children, Rayna and Amir.
In 2009, in an unfortunate accident, Tyson lost his daughter Exodus after the latter was found unconscious and tangled in a cord, dangling from an exercise treadmill. She was on life support and declared dead the following day.
Tyson walked up to the altar the third time on June 6, 2009 with Lakiha ‘Kiki’ Spicer. The couple has been blessed with a daughter Milan and son Morocco.
Mike Tyson Children
Mike Tyson is a doting father to seven children including the deceased Exodus – Mikey Lorna, Rayna, Amir, Miguel, Milan and Morocco.
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