The tribal face tattoo on Tyson’s face is a powerful symbol that marks a milestone in his life. Furthermore, he got the tribal design in 2003, right before his fight against Clifford Etienne. In addition, the tribal design is a unique Maori design from New Zealand.
Round 1: Plenty of fencing at long range with the left jab from both. Couple of nice rights from Zinad, but it’s very early. Another big right from the challenger. THREE-PUNCH RETURN FROM BIVOL DECKS ZINAD. The Libyan fighter is up quickly and catches a couple more counters.
The American former boxer Mike Tyson has four tattoos of note. Three—at least two of them prison tattoos —are portraits of men he respects: tennis player Arthur Ashe, Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara, and Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong. The fourth, a face tattoo influenced by the Māori style tā moko, was designed and inked by S. Victor Whitmill in 2003. Tyson associates it with the Māori being warriors and has called it his “warrior tattoo”, a name that has also been used in the news media.
Contrary to what one might expect, the tattoo was not planned to carry a deep spiritual meaning. Initially contemplating a design of multiple hearts, Tyson was steered towards a tribal pattern by his tattoo artist, Victor Perez, who suggested something that would be visually striking and more suited to Tyson’s fierce image. Mike Tyson’s face tattoo design draws inspiration from Maori tribal markings, which are traditional symbols of strength and courage — qualities that Tyson resonated with.
“It’s a plant that makes you happy and hungry,” he says, admitting that it’s hard to give up and that he was not his best self around his family in the first week division of boxing training for the fight when he stopped using. “The family wasn’t friendly with me. I did not behave well.”
Paul gets his face tattooed in a video, and he gets up to show it’s the same tattoo Tyson had on his face for years. In addition, Paul confirmed that he is fighting Mike Tyson and expressed his enthusiasm for the fight. Furthermore, Paul imitated Tyson’s infamous words to Donovan ‘Razor’ Ruddock about making him his girlfriend. Subsequently, Paul mimicked a few more of Tyson’s famous quotes and stated, “My style is impetuous. My defense is impregnable. I want your heart. I want to eat his children. On the 20th, I’ll come out victorious.”
Born and raised at Jacksons Track in Victoria as well as the town of Warragul, Rose grew up in hardship and learned to box from his father, Roy, who was a skilled fighter at local house shows. Rose was of the Gunditjmara (Dhauwurd Wurrung) people.
The knockout victory by Douglas over Tyson, the previously undefeated “baddest man on the planet” and arguably the most feared boxer in professional boxing at that time, has been described as one of the most shocking upsets in modern sports history.
The boy went on to reveal that he was pulling for Paul — “please don’t kill me, Mike” — and asked Paul what advice he would give young people with limited financial means who are interested in boxing. By the end of the exchange, Paul motioned for someone from his support team to take the boy’s information down because he promised to send him “a bunch of gear and stuff.”
The timing and choice of the tattoo sparked widespread speculation. His coach, Jeff Fenech, suggested to Fox Sports, the tattoo was more than aesthetics, hinting at Tyson’s reluctance to fight: “I thought we are fighting in a week, and when you get a tattoo, you can’t fight because they snap up and it wouldn’t be healthy to do that. We sat down and spoke, and he didn’t really want to fight and he wasn’t prepared to, and that was one of the reasons he got the tattoo.” The fight was even cancelled once, as his coaching team thought that his lack of conditioning could lead to him losing the fight. Yet, Tyson defied doubts, ended up fighting Clifford, decisively ending the bout with Etienne in a mere 49 seconds, showcasing his undiminished prowess.
The tattoo on Tyson’s face is not just a cosmetic piece of jewelry, but a powerful symbol of his personality, resilience and personal journey. It marks an important chapter in his life, reflecting both his struggles and his triumphs. The tattoo has become an integral part of his legacy, serving as a visual representation of the toughness and complexity that defines him.
After winning third place in the unlimited weight class in boxing in the 2001 National Games of China, he was called in as a sparring partner for the Chinese national boxing team in 2002. In 2003, he lost 22:8 in the first round of the 2003 World Amateur Boxing Championships to Grzegorz Kiełsa. At the 2004 World University Boxing Championships, he lost in the final to Rustam Saidov. Zhang enrolled at Zhengzhou University in 2005 and graduated in 2009 majoring in sports training. At the 2005 World Amateur Boxing Championships in China, he beat Vugar Alekperov 20:11 before losing to eventual champion Odlanier Solis (17:7).