ABC News will present a two-part documentary focusing on the life of boxing legend Mike Tyson. The first episode will air on Tuesday, May 25th.
What’s Happening:
- ABC News has announced it will debut a special four hour documentary series on the life of Mike Tyson.
- Mike Tyson: The Knockout will chronicle the former champion’s climb, crash and comeback, from his difficult childhood to becoming undisputed world champion to his 1992 rape conviction and his personal struggles.
- Through the lens of his life’s extreme highs and lows, the two-part primetime event will examine some of the most pressing questions about resilience and reinvention.
- Mike Tyson: The Knockout will feature new interviews with:
- Rosie Perez
- Ross Greenburg
- Jeremy Schaap
- Tyson’s inner circle
- And more
- It will also include exclusive ABC News archival material and previously unaired interview footage with Tyson, who reflects on what he has learned throughout his boxing career and his new outlook on life.
- “Mike Tyson: The Knockout” premieres on back-to-back Tuesdays, May 25 and June 1, (8:00 – 10:00 pm ET), on ABC.
- It can also be viewed the next day on demand and on Hulu.
What They’re Saying:
- Executive producer Geoffrey Fletcher: “In addition to being an inspiring story of the perseverance and hard-won growth of one extraordinary person, Mike Tyson’s life and career are also relevant to the important collective self-reflection finally occurring in America.”
Tuesday, May 25, 8:00 – 10:00 pm ET
- Mike Tyson: The Knockout begins with Tyson’s youth and his transition from a bullied kid who, in a single instant, discovers his true power, which becomes the basis for the icon’s reputation as “The Baddest Man on the Planet.” Former trainers Bobby Stewart and Teddy Atlas and Joe Colangelo, longtime friend of legendary boxing trainer Cus D’Amato, describe Tyson’s time in and out of juvenile detention while D’Amato trains a young boy from Brooklyn to the edge of his boxing dream of heavyweight champion of the world.
Tuesday, June 1, 8:00 – 10:00 pm ET
- Mike Tyson: The Knockout continues with Tyson’s conviction and prison sentence for raping 18-year-old Desiree Washington, reviewing the cultural conversation that ensued throughout the trial as the public grappled with ideas around victimization and the fall of a hero. Tyson’s defense attorney James Voyles and special prosecutor Greg Garrison reflect on the trial nearly 30 years later. The program also spotlights Tyson’s comeback in boxing and his bouts against Evander Holyfield, including the moment he bit Holyfield’s ear, as well as his addiction to cocaine, as he quickly became vilified and one of the most polarizing athletes in America.
Creative Team:
- Mike Tyson: The Knockout is produced by ABC News.
- Roxanna Sherwood serves as Senior Executive Producer.
- Geoffrey Fletcher serves as an Executive Producer and the Director of Animation.
- Academy Award-nominated composer Terence Blanchard contributed an original score.