MIKE TYSON is running late for dinner. He opens the back door of his guesthouse, his broad frame filling the doorway. His wife, Kiki, looks up as he shuffles over to her in the small kitchen and gives her a kiss. "Am I eating tonight, or am I finished eating?" Tyson asks. She's sitting on a stool in yoga pants, toweling off her hair. "I got you Nobu," she says. "What'd you get me?" he asks. "I got you your fish," she says. "The fish I like?" They're in the guesthouse because their actual house, a sprawling mansion in Henderson, a residential suburb of Las Vegas, is under construction. Instead of flopping off to a hotel, where fans would flock, they've retreated here. Mars, their fluffy goldendoodle, makes his rounds of the room. From the speakers, a Balinese-style rhythm pulses, soft and hypnotic.
It's almost surreal to imagine that this version of Tyson-comfortable, graystubbled, and 58-will be fighting again soon. Officially, he retired from boxing nearly 20 years ago when he refused to come off his stool against the inferior Kevin McBride ("I don't have the fighting guts anymore," he said then). At that time, his upcoming opponent, Jake Paul, the internet celebrity turned boxer, was making his way through elementary school. Paul is now all grown up and preparing to take on Tyson November 15 under the lights of AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The fight, which will be streamed on Netflix, has special rules: eight rounds, two minutes per rounder, and slightly cushier 14-ounce gloves. The matchup could become one of the most watched sports events of the year and one of the most lucrative. There's speculation that Netflix has paid $80 million in purses alone for the fight; if that's even close to being true, it could rival the figures Tyson made in his pay-per-view prime.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The Tao of Steak
Crane Club has a talented chef, big-money backing, and the whiff of a members-only sanctuary. It needs something more.
The Pervert's Drink
Milk is for deviants, from.A Clockwork Orange to Babygirl.
A BUNCH OF NEW START-UPS ARE HYPING THE LONELINESS EPIDEMIC AND ARE OF COURSE, HAPPY TO OFFER SOLUTIONS
IN HER OWN TELLING, every business Radha Agrawal has ever started or project she has dreamed up or mission she has embarked on was born of a persistent, lifelong desire to belong.
The Voice Whisperer
Eric Vetro teaches the stars how to sing for their Oscars.
There Is No Safe Word
How the best-selling fantasy author Neil Gaiman hid the darkest parts of himself for decades.
CRITICS
Kathryn VanArendonk on Severance's second season... Roxana Hadadi on The Last Showgirl... Jasmine Vojdani on Aria Aber's Good Girl.
John Derian's Apartment Is Full of Wonderful Things
Papier-mâché birds, découpage, flea-market finds from Paris, antiques, furniture he designed himself that was inspired by antiques-and more.
The Unknowun Number
Who was the relentless, vicious bully harassing Kendra Licari's teenage daughter?
Eleonora Srugo
The broker became tabloid fodder for a suspected relationship with the mayor. Now, she's the star of yet another real-estate reality show.
Strongman
The tragic legacy of the mourner-in-chief.