The life of one of the most enigmatic boxers of all time will be making an appearance on the silver screen in the near future. Mike Tyson, the first man to hold all three major heavyweight titles at the same time, is getting a biopic made on the trials and tribulations of his storied career.
Tyson was also the youngest man to win a heavyweight title when he beat Trevor Berbick in January 1986 by second-round TKO. Tyson’s career spanned nearly 20 years, with two separate career arcs as Tyson was sentenced to six years in prison in 1992 on rape charges. Tyson only served three years of the sentence before being paroled in 1995.
According to Tyson, the actor who will be playing him is none other than Jamie Foxx. The Jasmine Brand reports Tyson is excited to get the filming started with the Baby Driver actor.
It’s on, as of right now. Jamie Foxx has signed on for it. Filming hasn’t started yet but it’s going to happen. A lot of people aren’t going to like the things I’ve done in my life.
Mike knows it is Jamie’s dream to play him and they have talked about gym work and how he could put him through his paces. The only thing is if they go sparring and Mike connects, Jamie may never make any movie again.
For Foxx, it’ll be his second boxing biopic after playing Drew “Bundini” Brown in Ali, and it’ll be his third biopic overall having won an Oscar for his performance in Ray. So playing a legendary character or dealing with the sweet science in a film shouldn’t be a problem for the former In Living Color performer.
Legendary Director Martin Scorsese is rumored to be directing the Tyson biopic. It will be first boxing-related film since he directed the classic boxing movie, Raging Bull. There has been no timetable released for when shooting for the Tyson biopic will start.
