Boxing legend convicted of raping beauty queen
Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson accused of raping 18-year-old beauty-pageant contestant Desiree Washington is found guilty by an Indiana jury.The following month Tyson was given a 10-year prison sentence with four years suspended.Mike Tyson rose to fame in 1986 when he beat Trevor Berbick and became at age 20 the youngest heavyweight champ in boxing history.Born June 30 1966 in Brooklyn New York Tyson had a troubled childhood and was sent to reform school in upstate New York.
There his boxing talent was discovered and he flourished under the tutelage of legendary trainer Cus DAmato.Tyson turned pro in 1985 and the following year became heavyweight champ a title he retained until 1990 when he was upset by James Buster Douglas.In July 1991 Tyson met Desiree Washington at a rehearsal for the Miss Black America pageant in Indianapolis.Washington accompanied Tyson back to his hotel room where in the early hours of July 19 he allegedly raped her.
Tyson claimed the sex was consensual.The world-famous fighter was indicted by a grand jury in September of that year and convicted in February 1992.In March he began serving his term at the Indiana Youth Center near Plainfield Indiana.
While in prison he reportedly studied Islam and the writings of Mao Zedong and Malcolm X.He was released after serving three years in March 1995.Post-prison Tyson briefly recaptured the heavyweight title in 1996.However the notorious pugilist continued to court controversy.
In 1997 during a bout against Evander Holyfield Tyson bit off a piece of the heavyweight champs ear as a result his boxing license was temporarily revoked.Tyson also had run-ins with the law and spent several months in jail for assaulting motorists after a traffic accident.Additionally he battled drug addiction and faced financial problems after squandering the multi-million dollar fortune he had amassed.
Tysons professional career ended in 2005 when he quit during the middle of a bout against Kevin McBride.
