If you pay close attention to the way he speaks, Tyson sometimes sounds slurry on his podcast and many interviews he has given. It is a rare condition that he had carried through his childhood well into his adult life. However, the reputation that he had amassed inside the boxing ring by knocking out his opponents has whitewashed any complications that might arise with the rare condition he suffers from. However, Tyson seems to have made his peace with it and even hosts his own podcast named ‘Hotboxin with Mike Tyson’.
In the video, Paul appears to get a tattoo that looks identical to the one that Tyson got on his face years ago, and he looks in the camera to state, “You heard it right, motherf***er. I’m fighting Mike Tyson, b****!”
Zhang Zhilei, known as a “Giant man from China,” is making a name for himself in the world of boxing as a heavyweight champion. He is an Olympic silver medalist, multiple World, and Asian Championship medalist, and is known for his fierce fists and strong determination.
Tyson faces Jake Paul on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys. In a historic first, Netflix will be airing it in place of DAZN Exclusive streamings. ‘Iron Mike’ and his return to boxing holds so much gravitas, that even an impetuous ‘Problem Child’ imitates his iconic face mark in the theatrical promo. Mike Tyson and his tattoo are recognizable by all.
Zhang protecting up front and Parker looking for a power punch. Lead jab from Parker misses. Zhang lands well on the inside. Zhang is GASSED, but once again Parker can’t seem to cash in. This will be an interesting trio of scores from the judges.
Tyson, known not only for his incredible boxing career but also for his iconic face tattoo, has evidently influenced Paul in more ways than one. Paul’s decision to get a face tattoo as a tribute to Tyson reflects his admiration for the boxing great and his desire to make a bold statement in the world of salt papi boxing division.
Given the controversy that both parties tend to attract, the bout is one of the most anticipated events on this year’s sporting calendar, not least because the pair have traded some pretty public barbs in the lead-up to the event.
On 15 January 2024, it was announced that Zhang would be facing former WBO champion Joseph Parker, with the fight scheduled to occur on 8 March 2024 as the co-main event of the Knockout Chaos event, at Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena. Zhang was defeated by Parker in a majority points decision, in which two judges had it for Parker, 114–112 and 115–111, and one judge had it even at 113–113.
Zhang’s wife, Jiang Huanhuan (蒋欢欢), is a retired starting pitcher for the Henan provincial softball team. They met in 1998, started dating in 2000, and married in December 2006. They have a son, born 2010. Zhang rarely visits his wife and son in China due to problems re-entering the United States.
The next sequence features him alongside trainer Rafael Cordeiro. Moving his body in the famed pee-ka-boo style that might have sent many a fan on a nostalgic drive, Mike Tyson then throws a flurry of combinations. As one of the team members wipes off his sweat in the next shot, the former heavyweight champion lets out a wild yell. The final footage has him looking at the camera and shooting a sobering caution: “Day 3, you still wanna f*ck with me?”
The decision to get the face tattoo would be emblematic of this ultimately troubled period of Tyson’s life, and reflect on his future choices. In the years since Tyson retired, he’s more or less rehabilitated his public image as a troubled brute by being open in interviews, with self-deprecating humor, and getting involved in some cheesy B-movies, such as 2017’s legendarily cringetastic China Salesmen (prepare to facepalm your way through the fight with Stephen Seagal, viewable on YouTube). Tyson has started his own weed empire, Tyson Holistic, which, according to the Sun, earns more than $675,000 a month. Tyson himself reportedly cuts into his profit margins quite a bit by consuming (with his friends) $40,000’s worth every month at his Tyson Ranch in Mojave Desert, as Marketwatch says. He’s also talked about building a cannabis-themed resort.
“They said I looked like some tribesman or s***. I ran into some chicks that happened to be from the Maowi tribe and they said ‘hey, you’ve got some of my tribe on your face’ and the lady pulled her pants down and she has this tattoo on her butt.”
“So I’m just like, F*ck it, like, why not just do it because Tyson did it? It’s a story behind Tyson’s face tat is, it was like Wednesday of his fight week, and he just got it, and he showed up to the presser the next day with the face tat and he didn’t tell anybody. So I’m thinking about doing that in honor.”
Zhang speaks the Henan variety of Central Plains Mandarin in most of his post-match interviews and on his social media Douyin and Weibo, which has become a signature characteristic of his, as those born before the mid-1980s are the last generation to speak Central Plains Mandarin fluently. It and other languages of China have been gradually replaced by Beijing Mandarin in the younger generation in Henan and provinces all over China.