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These days Mike Tyson is essentially a B-list celebrity with a sense of humor about his own insanity. It wasn’t always like this. In the 1980s Tyson was the most feared man alive and seemed to be destined for a career as the most famous boxer since Muhammad Ali. But he not once, but twice tarnished his boxing legacy.

In July of 1991 we found out that the “most dangerous man in the world” was as dangerous outside of the ring as he was in it when he was arrested for the rape of Miss Black Rhode Island, Desiree Washington. Tyson was convicted and served three years of a six-year sentence. Upon his release Iron Mike found his way back into the ring and moved up the ranks, setting up a showdown with champion Evander Holyfield. Tyson lost the fight and then in a rematch lost his mind as he bit off a piece of Holyfield’s ear.

Since that time Tyson has shown time and again that he has some serious issues and mental instability, encountering legal problems involving substance abuse. Now Tyson can be seen in commercials, on talk shows, making cameos in movies and on Comedy Central roasts, but the first thought that comes to anyone’s mind when they talk about Iron Mike is the rape conviction, or maybe the ear incident. His stellar boxing career has since become a sidenote in his life story.

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