Bad Intentions: The Mike Tyson Storyby Peter Heller
'Bad Intentions: The Mike Tyson Story' is an enthralling account of the boxer's rise and fall. Peter Niels Heller's assiduous scholarship and precise analyses combine to create a portrait that is both compelling and frightening. Drawn into professional boxing at the age of 19, Tyson quickly established himself as the boxer to beat. No-one could. Ultimately, he defeated himself, being sentenced to six years in prison in 1992. However, rather than surrender to the nihilism of incarceration, Tyson fought back. As Heller says on page 126;
'He was on his personal canvas, the Celestial Referee was about to count 9, and then it happened; Tyson stood up, bowed but unbeaten. With renewed energy, he determined that he would change; become a better person. The miracle had begun, and within a month he was working on a lathe in the carpentry shop, turning himself into a model prisoner first, a fruit bowl second and finally an elaborate rocking horse. So impressed were the authorities that they gave the boxer early release and a free white ant inspection.'
These days, Tyson continues to be an ornament, proudly positioned on Don King's mantlepiece.
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