How did Mike Tyson become an icon?

[10000 Days]

Simple question: what are the reasons Mike Tyson became a cultural icon, as opposed to his heavyweight contemporaries? There have been more boxers better than him, but people tend to compare either legends or up-and-comers to Tyson most of the time, like he's the benchmark or something.

 

[Sakuraba7]

Youngest heavyweight champ.

First undisputed heavyweight champ between WBA, WBC, IBF.

Knock outs.

 

[Hagler]

Got lineal and undisputed HW champ at 22. Steamrolled competition, including the previous generation's cream of the crop. That's about it.

 

[Seano]

Simple question: what are the reasons Mike Tyson became a cultural icon, as opposed to his heavyweight contemporaries? There have been more boxers better than him, but people tend to compare either legends or up-and-comers to Tyson most of the time, like he's the benchmark or something.

Go back and watch the Mike Spinks fight, make sure you see the walk in. The guy was scary, he had a scary style. Not only that but he was in the tabloids every single week for something. He was a major celebrity and a A level athlete.

 

[nac386]

This seems like an obvious question. He was American, young, exciting, had ring-charisma, and an aura about him that really set him apart. He also came along at a time when the boxing world was staving for a great heavyweight. He really was not that far removed from the Ali era, and people were waiting for the next big thing.

 

[esum80]

tyson had this aura about him in addition to his accomplishments.

 

[HardasNAILZ]

He isn’t an icon. Hope that answers your question.

 

[Uptown Swinger]

Being from NYC helps.

 

[treelo]

He was knocking people out, and in devestating fashion, he was a magnet for tabloids at the time as there was very little going on in the Heavyweight division

 

[tekkennlee]

Mike Tyson was 5 ft 11 205 pounds, with insane punching power knocking out grown men who were 6 ft 3 240 pounds and Mike was making it look easy with insane quick hands and great defense.

People haven't seen anything like him before, Tyson was Gorge Foreman but even smaller doing things a giant would do to other giants, Tyson was David defeating Goliath's.

So Mike became a phenomenon and his life becomes a reality show, everybody asking what did crazy Mike do this time.

Then people felt sorry for him and cheered for Tyson to get his life back, because they see themselves in him going through trouble and becoming a winner again. It's the Rocky stories, but it was real life, the first reality show not on TV once a week.

The end of Tyson"s life story is Mike becomes champion again and he turned out OK and cleaned his circus life up he's a winner defeating life"s trials and troubles and growing up maturing and being a model citizen, Mike Tyson wins.,


This is how Mike Tyson became a Icon and still is.

 

[Sunfish]

Young man who looks too small to have a chance brutalising a division at a young age and making it look easy. The fear in opponents eyes before the fights. The fact he appealed to purists and the people who have morphed into the just bleed mma fans.

And he had a pet tiger.

 

[moosaev]

White America's innate fear of the young urban black man. He was Jason Voorhees with boxing gloves.

 

[City_Lights]

The speed, power and technique was obvious to everyone and really stood out. His style was perfect for getting casuals interested.

 

[burningspear]

Like Popeye on spinach.

 

[Prefect]

Played into the thug stereotype. Lennox brutalized more people but is seen as soft. The attraction to be in the shoes of someone who is a savage is something visceral, a universal attraction. Probably, the best marketed fighter since Ali. Floyd never was a savage so he had to get people to hate him.

 

[Seano]

He isn’t an icon. Hope that answers your question.

He obviously is. Young boxers model their styles after him.

 

[mozfonky]

for many people of my generation, he was thought of before he unraveled as our Louis/Dempsey/Ali. As much as i loved Ali, i can remember feeling like Tyson was mine. he showed so much promise, he was like the Titanic of fighters, people would call him invincible, the greatest ever, then it all fell apart. Many of us didn't abandon him ever and we sat through some stomach churning beatings. i still say he should have been the greatest heavy ever. Still, others say that he actually overachieved (sharkey, are you out there?) and they have a case, a man with 72 inch reach in that era, reputedly shorter than his listed 5-11.5, would always have some disadvantages but he was so much faster than the rest, so much more focussed. there was no sight in sports like him in the corner before a fight, Larry merchant said it was a cross between a tiger pacing and a bomb waiting to explode, but i always remember him pushing the padding of his gloves tighter around his knuckles before the opening bell, twitching his neck and doing that weird kick thing (which i later learned was a 52 blocks move).

 

[mozfonky]

Played into the thug stereotype. Lennox brutalized more people but is seen as soft. The attraction to be in the shoes of someone who is a savage is something visceral, a universal attraction. Probably, the best marketed fighter since Ali. Floyd never was a savage so he had to get people to hate him.

funny thing was, he didn't always play into the thug image, most people projected that on him in the early days. he didn't get into the intimidation until well into his first title reign and that is when I started to worry. It was a radical departure from the guy who used to always say he was scared and that he didn't believe you should get emotional in a fight and yada yada yada. when he started talking more and more crazy I started to worry because that kind of change wasn't good.

 

[Fluffernutter]

- Young. Therefore, people thought he would be around for a while.
- Lots of quick KOs that would fit nicely on sports telecasts.
- Was the backbone of HBO's surge in popularity.
- Made cross-over appearances in soda commercials and on Webster.
- Late nigh comedians have a living punchline (a hulking mass of destructive force with a cartoonish voice)
- Married a celebrity (therefore, people reads of Sports Illustrated and PEOPLE Magazine knew who he was).
- Got into trouble. This kept his name in the papers: Sports pages, front pages, and business section.
- Got very rich at a young age.

 

[Kovalev's "Man Bag"]

Looked and fought like a Pit Bull in human form + the commercial success of Nintendo's Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! video game for the NES/Famicom. That's about 90% of it.