Mike Tyson is a boxer known for his scandalous behavior in and out of the ring. None of the women could put up with the athlete's tough disposition for a long time. His ex-girlfriends and wives complained of domestic violence, and he suspected them of self-interest and a desire to become famous. Then Lakia Spicer appeared on his way, who has remained with Tyson for 10 years. They met when the boxer was bankrupt and struggling with drug addiction, and she had difficult times in her life. But love and support for each other helped them rise from the very bottom to be reborn for a new life.
First popularity and first marriage
A dysfunctional family, lack of parental love, sexual abuse experienced in childhood - all this influenced Tyson's character and his relationships with women. As soon as the career of a young boxer went uphill, the attention of the fair sex was provided to him. He had novels with models Beverly Johnson, Naomi Campbell, and writer Pam Pinnock.
And for the first time, Tyson went down the aisle in February 1988 with the television actress Robin Givens. The marriage lasted only a year. The boxer's wife did not hide that their family life is complicated by Mike's manic-depressive behavior. She told about this all over the country on the air of a popular TV show, and her husband sat next to him and silently listened to his wife's revelations.
Just a month later, in October 1988, Givens announced that she had filed for divorce and received a temporary order barring Tyson from approaching her. According to the actress's lawyer, she was afraid for her life, since the athlete's assault led to a divorce. He later confirmed the words of his ex-wife in his memoirs. But then Mike denied the accusations of Robin, suspecting her of self-interest. After all, the spouses, having created a family, did not even conclude a marriage contract.
The divorce proceedings were completed by mid-February 1989. According to press reports, Givens received compensation in the amount of $ 10 million from her ex-husband, although she later denied these reports. However, the actress's reputation was seriously damaged by the break with Tyson, since in those years he was the undisputed idol among African Americans. The woman came to her senses for a long time after this short experience of family life.
Rape charges and second marriage
Since the early 90s, Tyson has regularly become a defendant in sex scandals. Several times he managed to settle the claims before the trial, but in 1991 the contestant Desiree Washington accused the boxer of rape. He was sentenced to prison and released early in 1995.
In April 1997, Mike married a second time. His chosen one, Monica Turner, was a pediatric graduate student at Georgetown University. They met while the boxer was serving a prison sentence in an Indiana prison. The couple had two children - a son, Amir and a daughter, Raina. In January 2002, Turner filed for divorce, accusing her husband of treason. According to rumors, the married Tyson was carried away by actress Lauren Woodland. The divorce lasted a whole year. As a result, the second wife received two houses worth more than $ 4 million each, as well as an athlete's obligation to pay her another 6 million in future income. The children of the spouses stayed with their mother.
At the beginning of the 2000s, the boxer's business was getting worse. From the fortune of 400 million, not a trace remained, as a result, in 2003, he was forced to declare himself bankrupt. Soon, Mike retired from his sports career and confessed to problems with alcohol and drugs. For possession of prohibited substances in November 2007, Tyson was sentenced to probation and 360 hours of community service. It seemed that the life of the former sports star is rapidly sliding into the abyss, and nothing can prevent this fall.
Third attempt and family drama
With Lakia Spicer, future third wife, Mike met in 1995. She was born in 1977 in Philadelphia. The girl's father, who had problems with the law in his youth, eventually established himself as an influential Muslim cleric in his state. He was familiar with sports promoter Don King and often attended boxing competitions with his daughter. At the age of 18, Lakia first saw Tyson, who had recently been released from prison. Don King warned the boxer not to approach the girl, but she herself instantly became carried away by him, falling under the negative charm of Mike.
True, the relationship between them began only 5 years later. Lakia was living in New York at the time and often met Tyson at local nightclubs. For several years they continued to meet without obligation. Spicer tried to stop them, but she was increasingly drawn to this man. In 2004, the girl got into a crime story. Her father was accused of corruption, and Lakia was recognized as one of the accomplices, sentenced to house arrest and a probationary period of 4 years.
Trials continued and in 2008 Spicer was sentenced to 6 months in prison. While behind bars, she learned about the pregnancy from Tyson. Soon after her release, Lakia gave birth to a daughter, Milan, and sought out her father. At that time, as never before, they had a lot in common: beggars, with problems with the law and an absolute lack of understanding of what to do next. At first they just visited each other. Lakia tried to get Mike out of drug addiction, and sometimes, when there was another breakdown, she was looking for him with horror, fearing to hear about the death of her lover.
Her dedication made Tyson finally take a fresh look at this relationship. He decided to fight for himself with the support of Lakia. In one of the chapels in Las Vegas, June 9, 2009, the third wedding of the former champion took place. Perhaps in this way he was trying to survive the tragedy that had played out two weeks earlier. His illegitimate daughter Exodus, who was born by one of Mike's mistresses, died in an accident. The girl suffocated, entangled in a home simulator, she was only 4 years old. Tyson arrived in Phoenix, where his ex-girlfriend lived with children, but found a completely hopeless situation in the hospital. In an official statement released after the child's death, he thanked fans for their support and asked not to disturb the family during these difficult days.
In January 2011, Mike and Lakia had their second joint child - the son of Morocco. By the way, in addition to four children from two official wives and a deceased daughter, the athlete has two more heirs born out of wedlock. The third wife helped Tyson find himself after leaving boxing. Together with him, she came up with and wrote a personal show "Mike Tyson: The Undisputed Truth." Renowned director Spike Lee agreed to stage the play. The debut took place on Broadway in August 2012. Throughout the action, Mike was on stage alone, telling the audience the difficult story of his life. In 2013, he published the bestselling book The Undisputed Truth.
After his third marriage, Tyson did not turn into an exemplary family man. In 2012, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The former boxer still has not completely cope with alcohol addiction. It is undeniable that he has learned to control himself much better, is constantly involved in new projects and demonstrates an interest in life. The marriage with Lakia is currently the longest in his biography. Tyson calls the third wife and the Muslim religion the source of inspiration for the fight against internal demons.
