A Guide To Six Mike Tyson Tattoos and What They Mean

When it comes to the world of boxing, Mike Tyson is a name that is synonymous with the violent sport. Known as “The Baddest Man on the Planet,” Tyson won his first 37 matches in a row, claiming the WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight titles before a surprise loss to Buster Douglas in 1990. Along with being a champion in the ring and one of the greatest to ever do it, Tyson loves tattoos, with this article aiming to dissect six Mike Tyson tattoos and the meaning behind them. But before that, let’s have a quick look at the life and times of the former heavyweight champion. 

Dominating the ring between 1987-1990, Tyson is the youngest ever boxer to win a heavyweight title at 20 years, four months, and 22 days old, but his career has also been controversial. He was convicted of rape in 1992 and served three years behind bars before returning to the ring, winning back several of his titles before his 1997 match against Evander Holyfield pretty much ended his career when Tyson bit off part of Holyfield’s ear.

Since then Tyson has gone bankrupt in 2003, losing his $400 million fortune, been involved in several drug-related run-ins with the law, and got in trouble for comments he made in the media about Sarah Palin. Despite all this, Tyson has managed to build back his brand and is now worth around an estimated $10 million, mainly thanks to his cannabis company Tyson 2.0. He’s also helped soften the media and public’s perception of him by exposing his flaws in interviews, appearing in movies, such as The Hangover, and revealing more about himself on his podcast, Hot Boxin’.

One thing Tyson is known for besides his incredible skills in the ring is his tattoos. Tyson has several notable tattoos on his body, including the tribal tattoo on his face. This article will look at Tyson’s ink and explain the meaning behind his tattoos, hopefully giving you a great understanding of Iron Mike the person. 

A Guide To Six Mike Tyson Tattoos and What They Mean

1. Tribal Face Tattoo

Let’s start with the most obvious tattoo Tyson has, his tribal face tattoo. Everybody was surprised when Tyson appeared in public sporting this tattoo. It’s not like he can hide it from anyone. The ink was done by visual artist Victor Whitmill in 2003, with the 2008 Tyson documentary explaining that the tattoo represents Tyson’s “warrior status.”

But it wasn’t until years later that Tyson discussed the tattoo while chatting with sportscaster Jim Grey on his podcast that Tyson revealed his reasons behind getting the tattoo. When asked by Grey why he got the tribal tattoo Tyson replied, “I don’t know. I was supposed to do it earlier. Put this tattoo, I wanted a tattoo on my face. I was gonna put a bunch of hearts on my face, there’s a bunch of little hearts and my friends are like, no I am not gonna do anything whack like that.”

He went on to add, “So he (friend) said let’s think about putting a tribal mark or something in there. And I said, okay we will do that. So he caked me a couple of days later. He brought up this tribal mark. So I said let’s do it and we did it.” Simple. 

The boxing star also admitted to being wasted when he got the tattoo on the same podcast. “I think I was on cocaine at the time,” he said “I am drinking and I was fucking wanted to get a badass tattoo. Some mean shit on my face.” Well, he certainly achieved his goal. 

The tattoo has become part of pop culture when one of the characters in the hit movie The Hangover, Stu (played by actor Ed Helms), wakes up to find he has the same tattoo. This tattoo forms the crux of several jokes, especially when Tyson pops up in the film, and was also the center of a lawsuit.

Mr Whitmill claimed Tyson gave him the copyright of the tattoo and Warner Bros. using it in The Hangover was a violation of copyright infringement laws. He tried to stop the release of The Hangover 2 but ended up settling out of court for an unknown amount. 

2. Mao Zedong Portrait Tattoo

If getting a face tattoo isn’t strange enough, Tyson also has an original tattoo of Chinese leader Mao Zedong on his right arm. For those whose history is a little shabby, Mao Zedong was the founder of the People’s Republic of China. He remains a controversial figure, with the majority of Chinese citizens believing him a great leader for ending decades of civil war and reuniting the country as one, while the rest of the world sees him as a dictator whose rule resulted in the deaths of close to 80 million people through his policies. 

Tyson’s respect for Zedong came while in prison where he read several books about the leader. It was while inside that Tyson decided to get a portrait tattoo of Zedong, with his name “Mao” tattooed underneath. In 2006 Tyson visited the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, with the Chicago Tribune reporting Tyson said, “Standing in front of Chairman Mao’s remains, I felt really insignificant. To have the chance to visit the memorial hall is a great honor for me.”

3. Arthur Asher Portrait Tattoo

Another prison tattoo Tyson got while behind bars was that of tennis player Arthur Asher. The tattoo is a portrait of Asher with the words “Days of Grace” written above the image. He decided to get the ink after reading Asher’s biography, Days of Grace, which Spike Lee sent him.

“Spike gave me the book and went through the book and what a thing,” Tyson explains in an interview with Inked Mag. “I flew through it, then read it again. I felt a kinship to [Ashe]. He was very intelligent and he held back that intelligence, he was just non-confrontational. I respect that. I wish I could be nonconfrontational but it just wasn’t meant to be. I felt a kinship there, so I put a tattoo there.”

The interview with Inked Mag also reveals Asher plays an important role in Tyson’s life. His third and current wife, Lakiha “Kiki” Spicer was given a tennis racket by Asher as a child while the duo’s daughter is an outstanding tennis player herself. “How is that possible?” Tyson says in the interview. “I have the tattoo on my arm, my wife has a racket from him, and our daughter plays tennis. It’s crazy.”

4. Che Guevara Portrait Tattoo

On the left side of Tyson’s torso is a tattoo of another communist leader, this one being the great Che Guevara. The tattoo is a copy of the famous Guerrillero Heroico photograph taken by Alberto Korda on March 5, 1960. It’s quite a large tattoo that takes up a lot of space on the left side of Tyson’s body. 

Speaking about the ink in the documentary Tyson, the boxing legend said, “When I was in prison, I was so angry at society. I put a tattoo of Mao on me. I put a tattoo of Che on me. Because I just had no faith in our government.”

5. Monica Turner Portrait Tattoo

Tyson did the cardinal sin of tattooing and got his partner’s portrait inked on his left forearm. If there is one thing you never do it’s tattoo a lover’s name or image on your body. Tyson and Monica Turner met in the mid-90s and married in 1997. They stayed together until 2002, when Turner filed for divorce claiming Tyson had committed adultery throughout their five-year marriage. The divorce was finalized in 2003 and the two went their separate ways. 

It’s a pretty basic tattoo and while you can see the resemblance to Turner, it’s not exactly a work of art. It also helps that the tattoo is on the inside of Tyson’s forearm so it’s not the most visible, meaning he doesn’t have to worry about people seeing it all the time. 

6. Dragon Tattoo

On his right forearm, Tyson has a dragon tattoo which is easily the most impressive of all his artwork. This is the one tattoo there is little information on, with nobody being sure of the tattoo artist or the actual meaning behind the tattoo. Tyson himself hasn’t discussed the ink but as The Sun detailed, “In Chinese culture, the dragon represents strength, wisdom, and freedom,” so it wouldn’t be a stretch to think Tyson knows this and wanted the tattoo to represent these things. Or maybe he just really likes dragons? We will never know until he comments on the artwork.