Celebs Who Can't Stand Mike Tyson

Since becoming the world's youngest heavyweight champion in 1986, Mike Tyson, otherwise called "Iron Mike" has had the world's gaze on him. With a career record made up of 50 wins, two no-contests, and only six losses (via Biography), there is no arguing that Tyson is still one of the best to ever do it. Like many other legends, Tyson's stellar career put him in the good books of many around the world — celebrities included. But on the flip side of the coin are those who don't feel so strongly about the veteran boxer. 

A rape conviction, a struggle with drugs and an overall reckless lifestyle, Tyson has had his fair share of controversies (via The Sun). But regardless of the extent of some of his wrongdoings, there are quite a number of people — especially celebrities — who simply can't stand the Tyson. Who are they? Why don't they like him? Take a look!

Floyd Mayweather

One would expect that Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather, two of the world's greatest boxers of all time would be friends or at least friendly with each other. This is however not the case. While both Tyson and Mayweather seemingly get along with each other, there is, in reality, no love lost between them. The pair apparently have an ongoing feud — dating as far back as the early aughts, when they were both still in their early boxing days.

Per Daily Mail, the feud started in 2001 after a woman accused Tyson of kidnap and sexual assault, eventually leading to a police raid at his Las Vegas home. Tyson would later discover that Mayweather allegedly convinced the woman to falsely accuse him of kidnap and assault. And even though there is no evidence to back up this claim, Tyson is pretty convinced about Mayweather's involvement. "Some serious people said it," he said. "I'm good with it now... You can forgive, but you have to remember."

In 2018, Tyson finally got the chance to throw jabs at Mayweather after he proclaimed himself to be the greatest boxer in history. "He's very delusional," he told Undisputed Champion Network. "Greatness is not guarding yourself from the people. Greatness is being accepted by the people. He can't take his kids alone to school by himself. He's a little scared man. He's a very small, scared man." Will these two ever actually see eye to eye again? Probably not in this lifetime!

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Don King

According to CBS News , Mike Tyson first met Don King in 1986, but it was not until two years later that the famed promoter started working for him. In the years that followed, Tyson became more famous, and his wealth only soared. This was good for Tyson but apparently better for King, who, at the time, was allegedly ripping the boxer off. In 1998, Tyson filed a $100 million lawsuit against King, accusing him of cheating the boxer out of millions in the years that they worked together. Per The Washington Post, Tyson's lawsuit claimed that King made him pay illegal consultation fees to King's family.

Things escalated in 2003 when the boxer physically assaulted King during a reconciliation attempt. "Don said some innocuous thing, and all that jealousy and rage spilled out of me and I kicked him in his f***ing head," the boxer wrote in his 2013 autobiography "Undisputed Truth." However, despite reaching a $14 million out of court settlement, per The New York Times, Tyson was not able to let the grudge go.

During the 2018 Boxing Hall of Fame induction, Tyson threw a glass of water at King after attempting to give him a friendly pat on the shoulder, per TMZ. But even though he later admitted that he could have handled the situation better, Tyson made it known that there was no love lost between him and King.

Chael Sonnen

In 2020, Mike Tyson, a habitual smoker, admitted that he smoked marijuana before his famous fight with Roy Jones Jr. in November of that year. This however, did not sit well with many people, including Chael Sonnen who slammed the boxing legend for his public admission of drug use on his YouTube channel. "[Tyson] came out after the fact to let the world know he was high prior to the fight," Sonnen said. "I don't know what that is, [but] that's disappointing to me." A year later, Sonnen reiterated this, when he referred to Tyson's podcast as the "drug addict podcast" on Twitter, adding that he would never be a guest on there.

Even in 2022, Sonnen still has something against Tyson. He revealed on his Youtube channel that he still has a lot of resentment towards Tyson over his staged rivalry with Lennox Lewis and the supposed stealing of the $50 he and many other fans paid to watch the fight. "Mike Tyson and I don't get along — and I don't know that we have a big beef," Sonnen said. "But in all fairness, he'd rather not see me and I'd rather not see him. But it all predicates on him stealing $50 from me and all of you." Can we expect a truce from these two anytime soon? Probably not!

Conor McGregor

Though Mike Tyson and Connor McGregor were never the best of friends, they were never exactly enemies either. That is, until July 2017 when Tyson predicted the outcome of a boxing match set to hold between McGregor and Floyd Mayweather. "McGregor is going to get killed boxing," Tyson said during an appearance on the "Pardon My Take" podcast. "[McGregor] put his dumba** in a position where he's gonna get knocked out because this guy's been doing this all his life since he was a little baby." Tyson also noted that McGregor simply did not stand a chance because he does not have Mayweather's kind of skills. 

Expectedly, these comments did not sit well with McGregor who, in his characteristic savage and cocky attitude, reassured Tyson of his win. "That's nice Mike, but you're looking at the new Don King here, son. Money is mine," McGregor wrote in a tweet. 

It also did not help that, according to Russia Today, Tyson supported Khabib Nurmagomedov against Conor McGregor during 2018's UFC 229. And just like Tyson predicted, McGregor ended the match with a loss. But even though the two men claim to have squashed their beef, it is not unlikely that there is still some lingering resentment — at least on McGregor's part.

Soulja Boy

Mike Tyson is probably the last person you'd expect to be caught up in a feud with a rapper, but what can we say, he's full of surprises. In 2017, Tyson proudly took up the role of coach when, per BBC, he was asked to train Chris Brown in preparation for his boxing match against rapper Soulja Boy. "So it's confirmed. I just got off the phone with Frenchy and Chris Brown," the boxer revealed in an Instagram video. "I'm training Chris, he chose me as his trainer to take on Soulja Boy."

However, as they prepared for the match, Soulja Boy took things up a notch by releasing a track dissing Chris Brown and 50 Cent, who was on the singer's side at the time. And even though Brown is the one with the musical talents, Tyson took it upon himself to give the rapper a befitting response. As reported by Vibe, in January 2017, Tyson debuted the music video to "If You Show Up," his diss track to Soulja Boy.

Though Brown and Soulja Boy eventually cancelled the boxing match after calling truce, it would be no surprise if today, years later, the rapper still has a thing for Tyson.

Mitch Green

Mike Tyson and Mitch Green's 1988 street fight remains one of the most famous to date and even more, one of the most entertaining. Two years before then, Tyson had defeated Green in a boxing match and this was perhaps why he was wanted a chance to get his revenge. During an episode of his "Hotboxin with Mike Tyson" podcast, Tyson explained that he was shopping at a store with some friends in August 1988 when Green confronted him. "So my back is turned from everybody, but everybody is laughing, and all of a sudden everybody stopped laughing ... I turn around, Mitch Green is in this motherf***er and these guys are all scared. It was on from then," Tyson said. 

This awkward meeting was followed by their infamous street brawl that left Green with a pummeled face. For his injuries, he ended up suing Tyson for $25 million but it was not until nine years later that a New York court awarded him the sum of $45,000 for the pain and suffering he went through, per the Los Angeles Times. Given that all of these events did not exactly end up in Green's favor, it is no surprise that they are yet to end their beef even after all the years that have passed.

Teddy Atlas

Teddy Atlas's feud with Mike Tyson dates back to the '80s when they were both still working with the legendary boxing trainer Cus D'Amato. Initially friendly with each other, the pair's cordial relationship soon came to an end after a then-15-year-old Tyson made advances toward Atlas's niece who was still a minor at the time, too, according to The Sun. Angry, Atlas confronted Tyson with a gun but intentionally missed, just to prove a point. "I knew what I was prepared to do," Atlas said in the documentary "Mike Tyson: The Knockout" (via Fox News). "I started to pull the trigger and at the last second, I pulled it out of his ear. And I fired the gun then he fell on the floor grabbing his ear."

Tyson later admitted to the allegation in his autobiography, "Undisputed Truth," adding that his action was a stupid thing that was not well thought out. "As soon as I did it, I immediately regretted it," he wrote in the book. According to ESPN, the two men reconciled in 2013, but there really is no ruling out that there might still be some unresolved feelings lingering on.

Michael Jordan

According to Boxing Scene, Michael Jordan's issue with Mike Tyson started in the '80s — 1988 to be precise. The two men were at a birthday dinner when Tyson started attacking Jordan. Rory Holloway, another guest at the dinner revealed in his book "Taming the Beast: The Untold Story of Mike Tyson" (via Boxing Scene) that Tyson accused Jordan of having a relationship with his then-wife, Robin Givens. But not only was he accusing Jordan, he was apparently also ready to beat him. "It was a circus, for real, that night," Holloway wrote. "Don King trying to change the subject ... Mike telling everyone he's going to bust Jordan's a**. Jordan's dressed sharp as always and he can't get out of there fast enough."

Jordan had apparently dated Givens in his earliest days as an NBA star, but they eventually broke up with both parties moving on to new people. Though the famed basketballer has been married to his wife, Yvette Prieto, since 2013, it won't be so farfetched to assume that Jordan still feels some sort of resentment towards Tyson.

Robin Givens

Mike Tyson is currently married to his third wife but his first marriage to Robin Givens is his most high-profile relationship to date, given the drama surrounding it. The couple tied the knot in 1988, beginning what would become a disturbing relationship. Per People, Givens accused Tyson of hitting her during their marriage, something the boxer has since confessed to. "I have socked her before, and she socked me before, as well. It was just that kind of relationship," he said during a 2009 interview with Oprah.

Since their divorce in 1989, Tyson has pretty much struggled to keep Givens' name out of his mouth as he continues to speak about their failed marriage. So much so, that in 2020, per The Sun, Givens filed a cease and desist order against Tyson, asking him to stop defaming her. This move seems to have worked just fine seeing that now, Tyson has finally learned to keep his ex's name out of his mouth.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

Kevin Rooney

In 1988, Mike Tyson suddenly fired Kevin Rooney, his trainer who had worked with him for several years at the time. Per The New York Times, Tyson decided to let Rooney go after watching him make comments about his marriage to Robin Givens. "I thought that was betrayal," the boxer said. As reported by AP, Tyson had previously warned Rooney from talking about his personal life to the press but it seemingly fell on deaf ears. "I would never get on television and talk about his drinking problem or fights with his wife," Tyson said. "Where's his sensitivity?"

Rooney was, however ,not ready to let go without a fight, as he filed a $49 million lawsuit against the famed boxer, accusing him of unjust termination of employment, per CBS News. In 1998, Rooney won his case against Tyson, with the jury awarding him a $4.4 million settlement. Though a far cry from what he initially asked for, Rooney was nonetheless grateful. Still, Tyson knows better than to cross his path again.