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Mike Tyson is making his big return to the spotlight but the former heavyweight boxing champion is swapping the ring for the stage, as part of a new live show.
“Return of the Mike” takes over four Hard Rock Live venues this fall, with the boxer and entertainer offering up a night of “honest, hilarious” performance and conversation, per a press release. Tyson says he’s ready to share the highs and lows of his career, with lessons and anecdotes that he thinks will resonate with audiences.
“The show is raw, funny and truthful,” he tells Rolling Stone. “You can expect to laugh and understand the way I think about life and legacy,” he says, adding that, “We’re going to have some fun, tell some truths, and remind everyone that I’m still swinging hard.”
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“Return of the Mike” marks the Boxing Hall of Famer’s return to the stage following his 2013 one-man show, “Undisputed Truth,” which went on to become an HBO special directed by Spike Lee. Based on his memoir of the same name, the show drew headlines for Tyson’s unfiltered accounts of his drug and alcohol use, high-profile relationships, and troubled childhood spent in and out of his local juvenile detention center. “It was likeCheersto me,” he joked at the time. “Everybody knew my name.”
Now more than a decade removed from the spectacle of the autobiographical stage show, Tyson says the new shows will be decidedly more light-hearted, though still as candid and personal as ever. “The first show was more about me going through my lifechronologically,” he explains, “but now, everyone knows my story pretty much so I wanted to share how Iview myself in moments of my life. You can expect to laugh and understand the way I think about life and legacy,” he says, adding that, “I’m not afraid to be self-deprecating. You can’t takeyourself so seriously, and as you age, you are able to see the lightness that youth wouldn’t allow you to see.”
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Though he’s boxed in front of thousands of people, holding court in sold-out arenas and stadiums around the world, Tyson says it’s a different type of thrill that he gets on stage. “I always loved the stage and the instant reaction you get from the crowd,” he offers. “It’s very similar togetting in the ring and having that instant gratification of the crowd behind you.I love live performances and for me to challenge myself inthis way is something I’m up to doing.”
Tyson also hopes to use the stage show to address misconceptions about himself, though he admits he doesn’t really care — or pay much attention — to how he’s portrayed these days. “I just try to be honest about where I am in my life, and I guess many people areso concerned with what people think they don’t always live the most honest version ofthemselves,” he muses. “I think I connect with people especially in a time when people are too scaredor uncomfortable to be themselves. This is why I enjoy performing my one-man showbecause people get to see different versions of me and how I look at life.”
There are currently four dates booked for Tyson’s “Return of the Mike” show, kicking off November 9 at Hard RockCasinoin Rockford, IL. The show then moves to Hard Rock locations in Cincinnati and Hollywood, FL before finishing in Atlantic City on January 23. Hard Rock says Tyson’s penultimate live performance, taking place December 14 in Florida, will be taped for an upcoming special set to premiere later next year.
More than 40 years after he first stepped foot in a professional boxing ring, the new shows prove that the heavyweight champ remains a draw. His Instagram post announcing the live shows amassed more than 70,000 likes and counting, and tickets to “Return of the Mike” are selling quickly online. Hard Rock says the TV special, meantime, is set to air on a “major global streaming platform.” For the 59-year-old Tyson, the swings and blows of his career have taught him that you should never count anyone out, least of all yourself.
“Living to me is about not quitting,” he says.“I’m scared to get back on stage or in a ring but I would feel even worse if Ididn’t do it because I allowed fear to give me the excuse to give up. Too many people give up too soon, not knowing how much more they can take.”
