HomeBiographyMike Tyson Religion and Ethnicity: Is legendary boxer Muslim or Christian?

Mike Tyson Religion and Ethnicity: Is legendary boxer Muslim or Christian?

Tyson was born to a Catholic family but reportedly converted to Islam during his prison years.

Former American boxing champion, Mike Tyson was seen performing Umrah with hip-hop star DJ Khaled in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. After that fans got curious about Mike Tyson religion. Read below to know more about Tyson, his religion, and his ethnicity.

He is nicknamed “The Baddest Man on the Planet” for his disputed reign as the world heavyweight champion (1987-1990). Tyson won his first belt at the age of 20 and holds the record of the youngest boxer ever to win a heavyweight title.

Michael Gerard Tyson was born on June 30, 1966, into a Catholic family in Fort Green Brooklyn, New York City. His biological father abandoned the family around the time of his birth, while his mother died when Tyson was 16 years old and the teen Tyson was under the care of boxing manager and trainer Cus D’Amato who trained him all the best of his defensive moves and became his legal guardian later.

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Mike Tyson career

During his childhood, Tyson used to engage in street fights and petty crimes. He was arrested 38 times by the age of 13 years. His boxing abilities were discovered by former boxer and juvenile detention center counselor Bobby Stewart when Tyson was at the Tryon School for Boys in Johnstown, New York. Stewart introduced him to D’Amato. Later, Tyson was trained by Kevin Rooney.

He continued to hone his skills and learned the peekaboo boxing styles that made him one of the best defensive athletes in boxing history. In the blink of an eye, Tyson became a household name when he defeated Trevor Berbick in 1986 to become the youngest heavyweight champion in World Boxing Council.

He even acquired the World Boxing Association belt in 1987 by beating James Smith, and later defeated Tony Tucker in 1987 to lift the International Boxing Federation belt. This made him the champion of all three boxing organizations. He continued his professional career by winning more championships.

But he had been often on the wrong side of the law outside his boxing career. He was convicted of rape in 1992 which landed him in prison for three years.

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Mike Tyson Religion

Tyson was born to a Catholic family but reportedly converted to Islam during his prison years. He embraced peace through Islamic beliefs and preaching. In an interview after his release from prison, he revealed how he was moved after reading books on Islam and became one as he considers Islam as a religion of peace.

Also, reportedly, he changed his name from Mike Tyson to Malik Abdul Aziz after converting to Islam. But throughout his boxing career, he continued to go by the name of Mike Tyson.

Mike Tyson Ethnicity 

Tyson was born to his mother Lorna Mae (Smith) who was African-American. Purcell Tyson, the name of the man listed on Tyson’s birth certificate was a Jamaican.

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