Circus Mike Tyson Vs Clifford Etienne: His 9-Year-Old Son Has No Interest In Mike Tyson’S New Face Tattoo

The atmosphere surrounding Tyson’s fight with Clifford Etienne was already circuslike.
The former heavyweight champion played with his nine-month-old son, chatted with the media and acted surprised that there was such a fuss about his tattoo.

Behind him, Tonya Harding flexed her muscles, while University of Memphis instructor Kya Reaves talked nearby about the Maori warrior roots of the design on Tyson’s face.

“It’s indicative he wants it to represent the warrior in him,” Reaves said.

Tyson, meanwhile, appeared to be healing rapidly from whatever ailed him earlier in the week. He split the lip of a sparring partner before making a jovial appearance to promote a fight he desperately needs to rescue his floundering career.

“They offered me more money. That makes you very, very well real quick,” Tyson said. “If I don’t get it, I get sick rapidly real quick.”

Tyson was to get more than US$5 million to fight Etienne — huge money unless you’re Mike Tyson and used to purses that routinely top US$20 million. The free-spending Tyson needs as much as he can get because he is low on funds and owes his ex-wife US$6.5 million from his future earnings.

“I’m just thinking about what I’m going to buy myself with the cash I get,” Tyson said.

Tyson’s manager, Shelly Finkel, denied his fighter got any more money and said Tyson was just joking about his illness.

Though various reports from Tyson’s camp have described him as being sick and bedridden over the weekend, he showed no ill effects when he went five rounds with sparring partner Stan Allen and sent Allen to the hospital to get stitches on his lip.

That could be bad news for Etienne, who came nattily attired to the press conference and then threw a playful jab at Tyson.

“I’d like to thank Mike for finally showing up,” Etienne said.

Tyson’s tattoo was the center of attention.

“I just wanted to put something on my face,” Tyson said. “I didn’t like the way my face was looking.”

“A tattoo is personal. You guys know everything about me,” he said. “There’s billions of people outside with tattoos. This is nothing. This isn’t even halfway done.”