Mike Tyson's new face tattoo

[Guest oldschoolwrestling]

I read a lot of reports of Tyson since he was supposed to fight this weekend that he got a huge tattoo on his face. I haven't been able to find a copy on the net and was wondering if anyone saw it or has a link to it.

 

This is the description I found from Knight Ridder Newspapers:

 

Whether or not the wild bash at Tyson's Las Vegas mansion occurred, what is true is that the fighter impulsively decided to have a large tattoo of an "African tribal scroll" placed in decoration along the left side of his face. Getting such a tattoo within 10 days of a prizefight is, of course, highly inadvisable, not only because it would leave his cheek tender, but because it might make Tyson susceptible to infection.

 

A highly placed source told the Philadelphia Daily News a Las Vegas tattoo artist was advised beforehand by a member of Tyson's training staff that the fighter was on his way over, and that he should refuse to ink him. But, the source added, Tyson became belligerent when initially rejected, and the intimidated tat guy gave him what he asked for.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Apparently, Tyson's corner hasn't heard from him in a while, which can't be good. The fight's most likely either going to be postponed or cancelled because of this.

 

What a stupid move. Kellerman said on Around the Horn that the tat is in the stage where if it gets popped once, it's going to bleed like nuts. Apparently, Tyson's been off the meds for a bit, too, which can't lead to anything good. He could beat Etienne easily if he'd, god forbid, get FOCUSED for a fight.

[Guest NaturalBornThriller4:20]

The Fight was cancelled yesterday due to Tyson having the Flu, now I just saw on ESPN that the Fight is now back on for Saturday Night.

[Guest Youth N Asia]

BOOOOOOOO!!!

 

I actually have free Showtime right now and was looking forward to watching this.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Expect either a quick KO from Tyson, or else there'll be some hijinks after Mike gets tagged right on the new ink. Etienne's a solid fighter, but if Tyson actually concentrates, he'll make short work of the black rhino.

[Guest NaturalBornThriller4:20]

Here's an Article stating that the Fight is back on:

 

 

Tyson: Fight With Etienne Is Back On

3 minutes ago

 

By TIM DAHLBERG, AP Boxing Writer

 

LAS VEGAS - Mike Tyson suddenly changed his mind Tuesday, saying his fight with Clifford Etienne is back on.

 

 

AP Photo

 

 

 

The unpredictable former heavyweight champion chartered a private jet to fly to Memphis, Tenn., and planned to fight Etienne as scheduled Saturday, manager Shelly Finkel said.

 

 

"He woke up today and called and said, 'I want to do it,'" Finkel said. "He's leaving today."

 

 

The decision came less than 24 hours after Tyson's camp called off the fight.

 

 

Tuesday's news was the latest in a series of bizarre twists.

 

 

Tyson's handlers waited days for him to give them some sort of signal on his willingness to fight. They decided to pull the plug on the bout, scheduled for Saturday, after the boxer missed a flight to Memphis for the second day in a row Monday.

 

 

The official word was that Tyson was too sick to fight. But even before he became ill Friday, Tyson left trainer Freddie Roach waiting for him at the gym for three straight days.

 

 

Even Monday's press release announcing that the fight was off had hedged on why, saying Tyson "reportedly came down with a severe case of the flu."

 

 

Tyson's change of heart not only stunned fight promoters, but it came as a real shock to Roach.

 

 

Tyson called the trainer Tuesday morning to say he was going to fight.

 

 

"I told him, 'Mike, as your friend, I don't think you're ready for the fight,'" Roach said. "He said, 'I'm going to knock him out, are you going to be with me?'"

 

 

Roach said he told Tyson he would be there if the fighter was going to Memphis to win. Tyson hasn't trained in a week.

 

 

"We'll get a couple days in, the best we can, to get him back" in fight shape, Roach said.

 

 

Etienne hadn't been expected to present much of a problem for a fit Tyson. Tyson was a 7-1 favorite over a fighter who was handpicked by promoters for his willingness to stand in front of Tyson and trade punches.

 

 

Once the most fearsome heavyweight around, Tyson has shown little inclination to fight in recent years and has lost three of his last nine fights, two by knockout.

 

 

Tyson has fought an average of only five rounds a year in the last 5 1/2 years — and eight of those came while he was taking a beating in his fight in June against champion Lennox Lewis.

 

 

"Everybody should just throw up their hands and let this guy live whatever life he has. Forget about putting him in the ring," rival promoter Bob Arum said. "It's almost cruel now."

 

 

But Finkel said Tyson remains a big attraction.

 

"In the crazy world of Mike Tyson, one thing you have to know is Mike Tyson will always be in demand," Finkel said. "He's still a star — he's the star. He won't be hurting for places to fight."

 

The bout with Etienne has been planned both as a comeback fight and a tuneup fight for a possible June 21 rematch with Lewis.

 

Brian Young, one of the local promoters, said 10,700 tickets had been sold for the fight, but that ticket sales dried up over the weekend as speculation mounted that Tyson would not fight.

 

The Showtime cable network is using the fight and a concert by rapper Jay-Z as part of a big promotional night.

[Guest oldschoolwrestling]

I just heard on the radio that Etienne said as far as he knows the fight is still OFF and he is not going to be a puppet.

 

Being that no one even knows who he is and this will probably be his biggest money fight ever, I'm sure he'll change his mind.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

This will easily be Etienne's biggest money match. The only fights he's had that were really notable were a loss against Fres Oquendo, where the rhino got knocked down repeatedly, and a draw against Francois Botha, who put Etienne down twice. Tyson totally creamed Botha back during his original comeback tour. IIRC, it was a couple fights after he crushed McNeely.

 

Etienne's got a suspect chin, and he stands right in front of his opponents. Tyson's going to tee off and smoke him like it ain't no thang, tattoo or no tattoo.

 

That's not a big deal, but this is:

 

Tyson's also apparently looking ahead to a rematch with Lennox Lewis, which is fucking retarded on so many levels, as Tyson hasn't fought a quality contender since Lennox beat his ass.

 

He really needs to get his shit together, as his corner is very frustrated with him according to this article.

 

Tyson's illness came after a tumultuous week in which he left his trainer, Freddie Roach, waiting twice at the gym when he was supposed to be training. Tyson also went out and got a new tattoo on his face.

 

In addition, a member of Tyson's camp, former champion Jeff Fenech, told an Australian newspaper he left this week and returned to Australia because Tyson was not training properly.

 

The last time Tyson had no direction, he got whipped by Buster fucking Douglas. He's lost 3 of his last 9 fights, 2 by KO. The combination of those things, in addition to the usual Iron Mike nonsense leaves him in no condition to take on a world-class fighter like Lewis. Personally, I'd be surprised to see Lennox take a rematch, after winning so decisively once. If they do fight again, it'll be for the money and nothing else.

[Guest Human Fly]

Tyson shouldn't be worrying about Lewis because if he loses this fight the closest he'll get to Lewis is buying a ticket to his next fight.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

He's not losing to Etienne. You can take that to the bank. The guy's got no chin that can stand up to power like Tyson's, no knockout power worth noting, he's a stationary target, and his hands are slow. If Mike manages to fuck this up, then forget about it, he's DONE.

 

He's only fought two non-tomato cans. One was a loss, the other was a draw.

[Guest jimmy no nose]

Live on Sportscenter just a minute ago Etienne said there's no way he's fighting Tyson on Saturday. He said if they want a fight they need to find someone else and he is leaving Memphis.

[Guest Lethargic]

Fight was on, off, on, off ... now on again

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ESPN.com news services

 

LAS VEGAS -- Mike Tyson suddenly changed his mind Tuesday, saying his bout with Clifford Etienne is back on.

 

The unpredictable former heavyweight champion chartered a private jet to Memphis, Tenn., and planned to fight Etienne as scheduled Saturday, manager Shelly Finkel said.

 

"He woke up today and called and said, 'I want to do it,' " Finkel said. "He's leaving today."

 

The decision came less than 24 hours after Tyson's camp called off the fight.

 

The about-face was the latest in a series of twists bizarre even by Tyson's standards.

 

It got even stranger when Etienne told ESPN on Tuesday he was so disgusted that he would not fight. Cooler heads prevailed, though, probably because Etienne will earn close to $1 million for the fight, his biggest payday ever.

 

"I was here training. He's not," Etienne said. "Tyson postponed the fight and I said, 'Cool, no problem.' Now he says it's back on. I'm not a puppet. I have people in my camp who've already left. According to me, the fight is still off."

 

But "everything is going to be fine," Etienne's promoter, Les Bonano, later told The Associated Press. "The fight is on."

 

Tyson's representative said they were prepared to replace Etienne if he balked.

 

"He's going to fight, and if he doesn't, we'll replace him," Finkel said.

[Guest Lethargic]

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

Cliff, USE THE RIGHT HAND!

[Guest Nevermortal]

Holy shit. Now THAT'S a tattoo.

[Guest Mindless_Aggression]

Say what you will about Iron Mike, but that is one manly tattoo.

 

I'd of course laugh my ass off if during the fight it rubs off when he starts to sweat.

[Guest Flyboy]

I'd of course laugh my ass off if during the fight it rubs off when he starts to sweat.

Damn.

 

That would be too fucking funny.

[Guest teke184]

One of my co-workers knows Etienne and says that he's not training too hard these days. He's trying to make what he can in boxing with little effort and that, if Tyson whips his ass, he's retiring.

 

That being said, I think Etienne can actually beat Tyson if the fight happens because Tyson's erratic behavior will probably keep him from being on top of his game.

[Guest Lethargic]

ESPN changed their story again. Says the fight is off again now. haha

 

Etienne on Tyson: I'm not his daddy

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ESPN.com news services

 

 

LAS VEGAS -- Just when it seemed Mike Tyson's world couldn't get more bizarre, he outdid himself.

 

Faced with an uncertain future and the reality of throwing away a reported $5 million-plus payday, Tyson woke up in a better mood Tuesday and pronounced himself ready to fight after all.

 

A day before, Tyson backed out of Saturday's bout against Clifford Etienne. Now, though, Etienne says he doesn't want to fight, leaving the former heavyweight champion in need of another opponent.

 

Tyson boarded a chartered jet Tuesday to Memphis, Tenn., according to promoter Gary Shaw, and is ready to face whoever is in the ring against him Saturday.

 

"Mike told me he wants to fight, and we're here to fight,'' trainer Freddie Roach said after the plane landed.

 

Earlier in the day, Roach said he told Tyson that he didn't think he was ready for the fight but would stand behind him. After landing, Roach sounded more confident despite Tyson missing time in the ring.

 

"It didn't help at all but in a couple of days we can get the timing back in,'' Roach said.

 

"He's ready to fight. I don't care who they put out in front of him.''

 

While Tyson's mood swings are well known, Etienne had a little fit of his own, telling ESPN that the bout still is off.

 

"Tyson is bull. I'm not his daddy," Etienne told ESPN. "I'm not jumping under his tires. I'm my own man. I was here training. He's not. Tyson postponed the fight and I said, 'Cool, no problem.' Now he says it's back on. I'm not a puppet. I have people on my camp who've already left."

 

Les Bonano, Etienne's promoter, confirmed to ESPN that Etienne "does not want to fight right now." When asked whether Etienne would change his mind, Bonano said, "Once Clifford makes up his mind, it's very hard to change it."

 

Bonano did say that all of Etienne's supporting crew remained in Mississippi and had not left camp, as Etienne had claimed. But he told the Associated Press: "He's not going to fight. It's official. But in this world, who knows?''

 

Etienne will fly out of Memphis on Wednesday.

 

Proving that an opponent is just an opponent, however, promoters said they had four fighters lined up to replace Etienne.

 

"If I were him, I'd be jumping for joy that he's fighting a Mike Tyson who hasn't trained for days,'' said Tyson's manager, Shelly Finkel. "I think you'll see him fight. If not, we have others to take his place.''

 

The 36-year-old Tyson's erratic behavior took another soap operalike twist Tuesday when he said he was feeling better and wanted to go through with the fight. The night before, Tyson said he wasn't 100 percent and didn't want to risk not being his best.

 

"In the world of Mike, it's normal,'' Finkel said.

 

Tyson might have been influenced by the unhappiness of Showtime executives who had a big weekend of programming built around him and the possibility the network might drop the fighter from its stable. He also faced losing a return match with Lennox Lewis that would pay him millions more.

 

Although Tyson was said to have flulike symptoms over the weekend, his recent run of odd behavior began a week ago, when he went out and got a large tattoo on his left temple. He then missed three straight sparring sessions, leaving Roach waiting at the gym without explanation.

 

Tyson reportedly wanted more money for the fight. He was to make somewhere between $5 million and $10 million, far less than the $20 million he pocketed for losing to Lewis in June.

 

Tyson owes his ex-wife $6.5 million in future earnings as part of their divorce settlement.

 

"He woke up today and said he wanted to do it,'' Finkel said. "He felt good enough so he could go to Memphis and beat this guy.''

 

Etienne hadn't been expected to present much of a problem for a fit Tyson. The former champ was a 7-1 favorite against a fighter handpicked by promoters for his willingness to stand in front of Tyson and trade punches.

 

Bonano said his fighter was up all night thinking the fight was canceled and said he now wasn't mentally prepared to fight. But Etienne would have made his biggest payday ever: nearly $1 million.

 

While Etienne pulled out of the bout, Tyson went to the charter terminal in Las Vegas, where he, Roach and a sparring partner were to board a private jet for Memphis.

 

Tyson's handlers waited days for him to give them some sort of signal on his willingness to fight. They decided to cancel the bout after the boxer missed a flight to Memphis for the second day in a row Monday.

 

After the fight was called off, Showtime executives decided to move an undercard headed by Olympian Jeff Lacy to Bally's hotel-casino in Atlantic City and televise it along with some interviews with Tyson and Etienne in place of the main event.

 

"We actually pulled off an amazing logistical task in 24 hours,'' Showtime boxing chief Jay Larkin said. "I assure you this is not a publicity stunt. We went to astounding gymnastics to pull this off.''

 

Once the most fearsome heavyweight around, Tyson has shown little inclination to fight in recent years and has lost three of his last nine fights, two by knockout.

 

Tyson fought an average of only five rounds a year in the last 5½ years -- and eight of those came while he was taking a beating in his fight against Lewis.

 

But Finkel said Tyson remains a big attraction.

 

"In the crazy world of Mike Tyson, one thing you have to know is Mike Tyson will always be in demand,'' Finkel said. "He's still a star -- he's the star. He won't be hurting for places to fight.''

 

Brian Young, one of the local promoters, said 10,700 tickets had been sold for the fight, but that ticket sales dried up over the weekend as speculation mounted that Tyson would not fight.

 

Young estimated he would lose about $1.4 million if the fight was canceled.

[Guest Paranoid]

If anyone cares, I am in the EST. Time Zone and they are showing Tyson's new tat on SportsCenter in the next hour.

 

Or you can catch in one of the other 50 times it comes on tonight!

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

Borg Tyson!

 

You will be knocksimated!

[Guest CED Ordonez]

Despite the fact that he could probably split my skull with his punches, Tyson looks like a buffoon in that picture. A buffoon with a pretty swank looking tattoo on his face, but a buffoon nonetheless.

[Guest oldschoolwrestling]

Now the fight is back on. Check back in 10 minutes to see if that is still the case.

[Guest Choken One]

Yeah...First off...Ballsy Tat location but it fucking owns...

 

Who cares? We'll see the highlights later anyways...

[Guest Downhome]

I wonder if Mike Tyson and Michel Jackson have scheduled play dates, as they seem like they'd get along quite well.

 

What could he be thinking by getting a tattoo on his FACE of all places, just days before a fight? Would it not be quite tender, sore, etc...? Is it that Mike Tyson feel's he's that awesome that he wont even be hit in the face?

[Guest Choken One]

I doubt he was even Alert or aware of his getting a tattoo and when he woke up likely thought it was spilled HOT fudge...

[Guest oldschoolwrestling]

You know he woke up the next day saying "This medication has me all fucked up"

[Guest jimmy no nose]

Maybe he thinks he'll knock him out before he throws a punch.

[Guest Downhome]

Now to further back up my stance on Tyson and Jackson should be best friends...

 

 

...this, is a picture of Mike Tyson arriving at the airport in Memphis tonight, as covered live on ESPN and as you can see, he is wearing a towel to hide his face.

 

This is great, woohoo.

[Guest Lethargic]

Now to further back up my stance on Tyson and Jackson should be best friends...

 

...this, is a picture of Mike Tyson arriving at the airport in Memphis tonight, as covered live on ESPN and as you can see, he is wearing a towel to hide his face.

 

This is great, woohoo.

Actually, that's not Tyson. That was a double. Tyson actually landed at a totally different smaller airport located in West Memphis, just walked out of the thing and drove to the hotel with no hassle because all the reporters went running after the double that landed before him. Pretty good plan. All the local media here has figured that out, don't know why ESPN hasn't figured it out yet.