Alright, here’s the scoop on S. Victor Whitmill and his legal tango with Warner Bros. over Mike Tyson’s iconic face tattoo in The Hangover: Part II. Whitmill, the tattoo artist who originally inked Tyson’s tattoo, wasn’t too thrilled when did mike tyson get a face tattoo he saw a very similar design in the movie sported by Ed Helms’ character. Therefore, he went ahead and sued Warner Bros., claiming they ripped off his copyrighted tattoo without his permission.He has yet another portrait of Che Guevara on his left abdomen. It is a copy of the famous Guerrillero Heroico photograph. Tyson got it in prison as well, as he was deeply mistrusting of his state and current government back then. Additionally, Kid Dynamite has a portrait of Monica Turner on the left forearm and a Dragon tattoo on his right forearm.
Still, Tyson was at least able to overcome his personal and professional lows to eventually emerge as a fitter, happier, more well-adjusted version of himself. Etienne’s life unfortunately went down a different path. After eight more fights, he went on what was described as a ‘cocaine-fuelled crime spree’ in his native Louisiana.
In March 2011, Tyson appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to discuss his new Animal Planet reality series Taking On Tyson. In the interview with DeGeneres, Tyson discussed some of the ways he had improved his life in the past two years, including sober living and a vegan diet. However, in August 2013 he admitted publicly that he had lied about his sobriety and was on the verge of death from alcoholism.
I get having confidence and bravado, but I think the younger fighter may not understand the full scope of what he's up against here. Sure, Mike Tyson is 57 years old, but he's also one of the most dominant and legendary names in the fighting industry period. In fifty-eight professional matches he only lost six of them, and he won forty-four by knockout. Readers in 2024 may remember the silly guy with a face tattoo in his celebrity cameo in The Hangover, but sports fans remember that "Iron Mike" was a killer in the ring.
The tribal face tattoo on Tyson’s face is a powerful symbol that marks a milestone in his life. Furthermore, he got the tribal design in 2003, right before his fight against Clifford Etienne. In addition, the tribal design is a unique Maori design from New Zealand.
The latter competed against Tommy Fury in early 2023, losing against the half-brother of WBC heavyweight champion Tommy Fury via split decision. Before the fight in Saudi Arabia, Paul earned an easy $250,000. All he had to do was get a tattoo of the vodka brand Au Vodka.
Tyson's new, mellowed state has finally allowed him to get real about his decision to get the tattoo. It boils down to caprice that reflects his drug-addled period. In an interview from 2012, posted on YouTube, Tyson states that he was intending to get "a bunch of hearts and stuff" on his face because he wanted to be known as "The Man of Hearts." Tyson's tattoo artist, Victor Perez, straight-up refused, and instead drafted some tribal patterns. "I just thought it was so hot," Tyson says. "I would be in these dens, these clubs and strip places sometimes and all the girls said 'oh you are very exotic, where are you from?'"
Paul posted a video on his Instagram detailing his new face tattoo—the same one Tyson has (though it's unclear if Paul's tattoo is real)—before showing a man with a bite taken out of his ear. Paul then showed himself with a fake ear in his mouth.
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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.
"When you were watching him knocking out opponents and them flying through the air, it didn’t look mythical—it looked real," says Jim Lampley, the former HBO boxing commentator who is now a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a contributor to PPV.com. "This kid was like nothing we had ever seen before. Mike became a cultural phenomenon from the get-go."
Know of boxing’s consensus favorite heavyweight and youngest champ Mike Tyson? Sure you do. Do you know that he is facing a 9-1 (6KOs) YouTuber boxer next? You just might. Did you know he has 44 career knockouts till now? Or that he once bit a peer’s ear off during a bout? That is a famed affair. What about his iconic face tattoo? Of all the above, that stands out as his selling point.
