The Untold Truth Of Mike Tyson's Wife
Mike Tyson may have been rock solid in a fight, but when it comes to the ladies, he's thrown the towel in the ring a few times. While he may be a legendary boxing champion, Tyson has a soft spot for female companionship, according to the Daily Star.
"If I don't have a wife, I'll kill myself. That's real talk. I need somebody to listen to, I'm just that person," he said, calling himself a "soldier," possibly referencing his need for direction. "That's why I got married three times, 'cos I can't live without a wife."
When he was young, Tyson said he viewed women as a source of pleasure, but now that he's more mature, Tyson sees his partners as half of him — perhaps his better half. "At this stage in my life, they're my teachers," he said on TI's podcast, expediTIously.
Married three times, Tyson is no stranger to relationships. His first marriage with actress Robin Givens imploded in the public eye after a scandal allegedly involving Brad Pitt. His second marriage to physician Monica Turner ended after six years due to his admitted infidelity. However, his third marriage to Lakiha "Kiki" Spicer has outlasted the other two combined. What's made this union go the distance? Here's the untold truth about this powerful pair.
Mike Tyson was warned to stay away from Lakiha Spicer
Lakiha "Kiki" Spicer married Mike Tyson in 2009, but she first set eyes on the heavy-weight champ when her father brought her to one of his fights. He was 29 at the time, and she was 18. Spicer and Tyson reportedly started dating in 2000, when she was 23, after being introduced by Tyson's pal, boxing promoter Don King. At the time, King warned Tyson to keep his distance from the young woman. "Stay away from her," he said, per the New York Post. "Don't go talking to that girl. Leave these people alone. These are not the people to mess with." According to the Post, Spicer's father, Shamsud-din Ali, "was an influential Muslim cleric in Philadelphia" and a familiar face on the boxing scene.
The warning didn't work. "She swooped down on me, and told me, 'This is what we're gonna do,' and that's what happened," Tyson said in an interview with rapper and actor T.I. "That's why I believe in what I believe in now. 'Cause there's no way this could be happening. There's no way I could've been married to my wife."
The ensuing years certainly weren't easy for Spicer and Tyson, but they've built a family and persevered through addiction struggles and a prison sentence. "I'm very happy me and my wife got together," Tyson said, per the Post, "because I don't know how I would have survived out there."
Mike Tyson cheated on his wife for most of their marriage
Mike Tyson credits Lakiha "Kiki" Spicer for much of their family's success. Their relationship was reportedly turbulent from the beginning, due in large part to the boxing champ's track record of infidelity. In 2008, Spicer became pregnant with Tysons child. They tied the knot in 2009, after she gave birth, and have made it work ever since. They currently have two kids together.
Tyson has openly talked about his tendency to stray from their marriage while also seemingly patting himself on the back for fully committing to Kiki for two out of their ten years together. "I'm not faithful enough. I'm just not that kind of guy," he admitted on TI's podcast, expediTIously. "I don't care about nothing enough more than my d*ck, so how am I gonna be faithful to somebody? But it worked! I got ten years with her." The boxer said he went two years without having sex with a "b**** but my wife." He said that was a big deal for him because he's "the posterboy for sexual anonymous."
Mike Tyson's wife served time behind bars
Lakiha Spicer has made her own mistakes during her relationship with Mike Tyson as well. In 2008, before the two were married and while Kiki was pregnant with the boxer's child, she spent six months in a federal penitentiary after being convicted of fraud and conspiracy over receiving $71,000 for a no-show teaching job from the Sister Clara Muhammad School," according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. "Spicer's mother, Faridah Ali, served more than a year in prison for being one of two masterminds behind a scam that misdirected $274,000 in public funds from a program to educate adults in reading and math at the Islamic school in West Philly." Kiki's father, Shamsud-din Ali, also reportedly went to prison in connection with the payroll scam, according to the New York Post.
Spicer has reportedly maintained her innocence. According to the New York Post, she "found out a week before entering prison she was pregnant with Tyson's child." Her and Tyson's daughter, Milan, was born after her release.
Lakiha Spicer fell in and out of love with Mike Tyson
Lakiha Spicer and Mike Tyson's instant connection was apparently undisputable, yet the heavyweight champ continued to see other women while dating Kiki. "At that particular time I was an idiot and I believed that it was normal protocol that everyone should want to be with me," Tyson said. "That's what I was taught in life. I didn't know people could really care about you because you're really not that bad of a schmuck."
Spicer stayed with Tyson throughout their relationship's inconsistencies. "They crossed paths at night clubs, where Tyson would enter with other women only to leave with Kiki," reported the New York Post.
"I could never really get him out of my system," she said. "I would try and then we would get back with each other. He's the only person I was ever able to fall back in love with several times. Usually when I'm done with someone I'm over it. I'd think I'd have him out of my system and then we'd start talking again and it was just on again."
Mike Tyson says his wife saved his life
Lakiha Spicer and Mike Tyson stuck together through some dark times following their wedding in 2009. Kiki had just gotten out of prison and given birth to Milan (pictured); Tyson was battling a substance abuse problem. "We were both destitute," Spicer said, per the New York Post. She recalled an incident where Tyson disappeared for three days before she read media reports about a drug overdose. Spicer called the coroner's office, shaking. "I just knew he was dead," she recalled.
After hitting rock bottom, Tyson began to rebuild his life with his wife and family front and center. "I wanted to be courageous and try to be a man and raise a family and respect a woman and never cheat. But I'd never done that," the boxer said, per the New York Post.
Tyson has since written two books about his journey, one of which was made into a TV series titled Mike Tyson: The Undisputed Truth. He's also been stirring up lots of talk about a comeback! Come what may, he'll have his wife in his corner. "I'm just happy I got involved with her," he said. "It's truly a life-saving experience."