"When they…come up to the gym and say I want to be a fighter, the first thing I’d do was talk to them about fear…I would always use…the same example of the deer crossing an open field and upon approaching the clearing suddenly instinct tells him danger is there, and nature begins the survival process, which involves the body releasing adrenalin into the bloodstream, causing the heart to beat faster and enabling the deer to perform extraordinarily feats of agility and strength…It enables the deer to get out of range of the danger, helps him escape to the safety of the forest across the clearing…an example in which fear is your friend."
Mike Tyson News: Mike Tyson attends premiere of the film 'Tyson' at Cannes 2008 + preview videos
Update 21 May: See the video below for previews of the documentary, the full press conference, a video of Tyson and Toback before and after the premiere of the documentary (shot for Maclean's by Brian D. Johnson),an interview with Tyson and Toback for the French television Canal+ and more reports.
Mike Tyson, center, arrives arrives with his family and with American director James Toback, left, for the premiere of the film 'Tyson' during the 61st International film festival in Cannes, southern France, on Friday, May 16, 2008.
Tyson explores Tyson in this documentary by James Toback, selected for Un Certain Regard. Permitted to speak for himself, the champion sincerely does so, in a no-holds-barred recollection of his life and career in the ring. His reminiscences, flowing with innate eloquence, are by turns shocking, comical, and ferocious. The portrait begins with Tyson's earliest memories, of his childhood on the mean streets of Brownsville, Brooklyn. It follows his debuts as a boxer, handled by his coach Cus D’Amato, and retraces his tumultuous, hair-raising ride on the roller-coaster of world fame, his triumphs and setbacks.
"It's a Greek tragedy," explains James Toback, " in the sense that you have somebody who starts with nothing, from very humble origins to put it mildly, who goes on to reach heights that are inconceivable, and then crashes through his own hubris. It’s a double Greek tragedy because he comes back, and reaches the heights again and crashes again, again through hubris."
James Toback came up on stage to present his film: “ It seems that the film was destined to be here, and in one way or another, it has come here. When Thierry came to Los Angeles about six months ago, when I was still assembling the movie, I kidnapped him, hijacked him, put him in the trunk of a car, made him invite me… Anyway, I wanted to say before introducing Mike that the sort of portrait that is the emergence of this movie of a very complex, iconic and in many ways noble human being, this is ultimately what we do better than any other human being, in creating connections and bridges among people ordinarily divided.”
Mike Tyson added, “I greatly appreciate the welcome I received here. I haven’t ever had an experience like this in my whole career... I was on my way to rehab, an AAA meeting and James called me and told me how this could be a really great work. I never believed it. I had no idea that it would come to this kind of spirit for a film. I’m an athlete and this is totally out of my field. I had a great deal of trust and I believed in Jim and once we decided to do this program, I decided to be totally honest with him and thank you very much for coming today.”
Mike Tyson News: Fight Night Round 4, Featuring Mike Tyson, Announced By EA
Electronic Arts (EA) has announced that "Fight Night Round 4" is in development at EA Canada in Vancouver, and will be available for the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 in 2009. One of the most exciting features of the game is the re-appearance of Mike Tyson after more than a decade of his last video game appearance.
Kevin Wilkinson, executive producer of EA Sports, said that "Fight Night" is back with the most realistic "in-the-ring" experience till date, featuring some of the greatest boxers (read: Mike Tyson) in history. For the first time in history, "Fight Night Round 4" will give gamers an opportunity to pit legendary heavyweights like Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali against one another. He added that "Fight Night Round 4" will change how boxing games are played and measured in the future.
Featuring a re-written gameplay engine, EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 4 will add a variety of fighting styles and boxer differentiation to authentically emulate the greatest fighters of all time. Pressure your opponent with the brawling inside style of young Mike Tyson, bobbing and weaving to set up powerful hooks and uppercuts. Capitalize on Muhammad Ali’s reach, hand speed and fleetness of foot to bewilder your opponent with lightning fast jabs and straights from the outside. For the first time in history, EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 4 gives you the opportunity to pit these legendary heavyweights against one another and name a true champ.
No fight will be the same with an all-new physics-based animation system that recreates the full spectrum of true-to-life punch impacts, giving boxers a devastating arsenal of punches, blocks and ring movement. The new physics system allows for missed punches, glancing punches, knockout blows and for the first time ever, rough and tumble inside fighting. Fatigue, adrenaline, footwork and timing all come into play as you hammer away at your opponents.
EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 4 will be available for the Xbox 360™ system and the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and ships to retailers in 2009. The game has not yet been rated by the ESRB or PEGI.
Posted by tysonian on Thursday, May 08, 2008 @ 09:34:19 CDT (165 reads) ( | Mike Tyson News | Score: 0)
ESPN’s primetime newsmagazine "E:60" will feature a profile of former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson tomorrow (April 29) at 7 p.m. ET. He will talk to correspondent Jeremy Schaap about his latest dramatic turning point, including his decision to appear in a documentary about himself.
Update: See the interview here (thanks to Spence for the video-submission):
Part 1:
Part 2:
Posted by tysonian on Monday, April 28, 2008 @ 12:25:14 CDT (281 reads) ( | Mike Tyson News | Score: 0)
Mike Tyson News: Iron Mike to participate in charity-walk for disabled veterans -updated
The Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace got a surprise guest Friday afternoon from the former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
The sound of his name is still polarizing to sports fans around the world, and the very sight of Iron Mike Tyson made people stop and look.
The former champ is in town to help promote a charity walk he'll take part in on April 30th, 2008 to benefit disabled veterans of the Iraq War, and there are many right here in the city Tyson once called home.
The charity walk will begin at city hall on Fremont Street and will run for 8 miles up Las Vegas Blvd., ending at Nellis Air Force Base. A trust fund has been established for donations.
Update 27 April: A video of the announcement can be seen below:
Posted by tysonian on Monday, April 21, 2008 @ 10:33:09 CDT (400 reads) ( | Mike Tyson News | Score: 0)
Mike Tyson News: New Tyson documentary premiere at the Cannes Film Festival -updated
James Toback, near left, who directed “Tyson,” with Mr. Tyson.
Source: fightnews, hollywoodreporter
By Lisa Scott. Submitted by BluesforTyson.
Noted director James Toback’s highly anticipated documentary on the former two-time heavyweight champ will premier at the Cannes Film Festival next month (May 14-25th).
The documentary, entitled “Tyson,” follows the path that the fighter took after both his championship losses and his eventual fall from grace. Toback has said that he amassed over 30 hours of interviews with Tyson which took almost a year to complete. “Mike made himself completely vulnerable in this film, and he was honest about all the things that have highlighted his life,” said Toback.
Update 10 May:Click here to read an article by The New York Times about the documentary "Tyson".
Electronic Arts (EA) has announced that "Fight Night Round 4" is in development at EA Canada in Vancouver, and will be available for the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 in 2009. One of the most exciting features of the game is the re-appearance of Mike Tyson after more than a decade of his last video game appearance.
