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Michael Gerard Tyson, widely known as Mike Tyson, is a legendary figure in American boxing history. Born on June 30, 1966, he enjoyed an impressive boxing career that spanned decades from 1985 to 2024.
Arguably one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time, Tyson is renowned for his aggressive and intimidating style, often leaving his opponents shuddering in fear. Nicknamed “The Baddest Man on the Planet,” Tyson holds the record for the youngest boxer to win a heavyweight title at 20.
Highlights
- Mike Tyson's net worth rebounded to $30M in 2025 from bankruptcy.
- Tyson's fight against Lenox Lewis earned him $105M in 2002.
- Extravagant spending on luxury cars, tigers, and a gold tub led to financial ruin.
- Tyson launched cannabis line Tyson 2.0, earning $150M in 2023.
- Popular podcast 'Hotboxin' and YouTube boosted his financial recovery.
Tyson was an undisputed heavyweight boxing champion between 1987 and 1990. Outside the ring, Tyson’s personal life has been a hot topic in tabloids for many years.
The former boxer has had quite a tumultuous journey, with a string of romantic relationships, jail time, and bankruptcy filings in the past.
This article will explore Iron Mike’s revenue portfolio over the years and how he went from owning a $300 million empire to filing for bankruptcy in 2003 and gradually bouncing back to having an eight-figure net worth.
Table of Contents
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Mike Tyson’s Net Worth in 2025
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Mike Tyson’s net worth in 2025 stands at $30 million. While this amount is no small feat, the legendary boxer used to be worth ten times more at the peak of his boxing career.
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A classic case of rags to riches and an eventual bounceback — that’s the story of Iron Mike’s empire across decades. In fact, he was placed at number 14 on Forbes’ list of The 25 Highest-Paid Athletes Of All Time in 2017, with a career total of $700 million.
As per CBS, he filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2003, and he was also allegedly $23 million deep in debt.
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Mike Tyson’s First Round to Riches
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Tyson’s fall from grace was his own doing. But to get a grasp of his downfall, it’s important to go back to where it all began. A massive chunk of Kid Dynamite’s earnings during his peak came from his boxing career in the form of compensations for winning fights and pay-per-view bonuses.
With the support of renowned American promoter Don King, Tyson earned substantial sums for each fight, and the history of the former heavyweight champion’s earnings is truly remarkable.
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According to Essentially Sports, Tyson’s greatest fight purse came in 2002 in his fight against Lenox Lewis when he earned $105 million for showing up and challenging him for the unified titles in the heavyweight division.
The legendary boxer’s fight purse ranged from anywhere between $1.5 million to $105 million, where he went up against the likes of Donovan Ruddock, Peter McNeeley, Danny Williams, Evander Holyfield, and Kevin McBride.
Image credits: @netflix
Apart from the massive payouts from his performance in the ring, Tyson had a string of brand and lucrative endorsement deals to add to his fast-growing empire.
According to the LA Times 1988, Iron Mike made millions from endorsement deals with Pepsi, Eastman Kodak, and Nintendo, in addition to his $35 million earnings from boxing purses.
Mike Tyson’s Squandered His Wealth on Ultra-Luxurious Purchases
Despite his monumental and rapid success, Tyson faced a dark period when his bank balance fell into the negatives in 2003. While the boxer’s extravagant lifestyle remains a primary reason for the exhaustion of his funds, he was also betrayed by those in close connection with his enterprise.
This was coupled with legal troubles and subsequent jail time, which put a pause in his career and directly affected his income flow.
Luxury Purchases and Financial Mismanagement
Mike Tyson spent his money like he’d never run out. Despite having that kind of money at his peak, he surpassed the threshold of sensibility and smart financial management like the purchase of a 21-bedroom Connecticut mansion, including a casino and nightclub.
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His purchases included run-of-the-mill luxury goods like luxury cars, designer clothes, and expensive jewelry. However, Iron Mike took it one eccentric step further, allegedly spending $400,000 on pigeons and a whopping $60,000 each on two Bengal tigers (per Express).
Interestingly, the boxer had to spend roughly the same amount in food and maintenance per month to upkeep his big cats. He also allegedly had an on-call animal trainer to whom he paid $125,000 annually.
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Tyson’s collection of wheels was nothing short of an automobile enthusiast’s dream. From not one but two Rolls-Royce Corniche to multiple Ferraris, it isn’t hard to see why the former boxer eventually faced bankruptcy.
By the age of 22, Tyson owned four Rolls-Royces, and he bought his Ferrari F50 and Ferrari 456 GT Spyder at the same time. The Baddest Man on the Planet also had a soft heart, as he often showered his friends and family with luxurious gifts and periodically spent big bucks on them.
While all these extravagant purchases are enough to make one sweat, Tyson’s most eccentric purchase at the time would hands down have to be the 24-karat solid gold tub he bought as a birthday gift for his then-wife, Robin Givens.
Image credits: @miketyson
He dropped a shocking $2.2 million on the sanitary ware. The bathtub was later sold to Southampton billionaire Derwood Hodgegrass for half price following Mike Tyson’s divorce from Givens in February 1989.
Legal Troubles
Actress Robin Givens was Tyson’s first wife, and after their brief union, the former boxing legend allegedly paid her $10 million as alimony (per Essentially Sports). Their short marriage was brimming with issues, with Givens accusing Tyson of abuse.
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Kid Dynamite divorced his second wife, Monica Turner, in 2003, and he was expected to pay her a divorce settlement of $9 million as well (per Davis Law Firm).
However, one of the most financially damaging legal battles he faced was when model and former Miss Black Rhode Island, Desiree Washington, sued him.
She alleged that he had raped her back in 1991 when she was just 18 years old. Tyson was sentenced to six years in prison in 1992 and also had to pay her a handsome amount for the crimes he committed against her.
Image credits: Bettmann/Getty Images
Despite getting out on parole in three years, Tyson’s time in jail significantly affected his career and finances.
Don King Embezzlement
The former heavyweight champion’s boxing promoter, Don King, and his two co-managers allegedly embezzled over $100 million from Iron Mike (per The Seattle Times). This subsequently led to Tyson suing King for a whopping $100 million.
The New York Times reported that the duo ultimately reached a settlement in 2004, with King paying Tyson $14 million.
Mike Tyson’s Financial Comeback Was Gradual
Tyson picked up the pieces of his crumbling empire and set out to recover his wealth. The first step to recovery is acceptance, and in a 2010 interview with The View, the boxing legend reflected on how his careless squandering of his earnings landed him in a financial conundrum.
He also struggled with drug addiction for a few years. In a 2022 appearance on the Pivot podcast, he revealed that he had used the remnants of his earnings on a $2 million house in Phoenix and $1 million to check himself into rehab. Tyson retired from boxing in 2005 and subsequently engrossed himself in multiple businesses and projects.
Acting Career
With nothing left in his pocket, Mike Tyson leveraged his fame to score acting roles in films like The Hangover in 2009 and also starred in its sequels in the following years. Kid Dynamite made several cameos in HBO’s Entourage and the 2006 film Rocky Balboa.
Tyson has also appeared in documentaries and series, including the animated series Mike Tyson Mysteries.
He is currently developing a three-episode docuseries with Netflix.
Tyson 2.0
In 2021, Tyson teamed up with medical cannabis company Columbia Care to launch a Cannabis line called Tyson 2.0. The company aims to conquer the global cannabis market.
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Their mission is to offer extraordinary quality and affordable products. In 2024, Iron Mike announced that the company would also start offering its own line of cannabis seeds.
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The company sells marijuana products in 20 states across the US as well as overseas in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Germany, and Thailand. They also want to tap into the UK’s highly restrictive medical marijuana industry.
According to Forbes, the brand generated $150 million in revenue in 2023, with about 30% coming from cannabis sales. Tyson 2.0 is one of the major avenues that played into Tyson’s financial recovery.
In an interview with GQ, Tyson opened up about how cannabis helped him come out of addiction and how he wanted to help others like him through his company.
The Hotboxin’ Podcast and Media Deals
In 2019, the boxing legend launched his own podcast, Hotboxin’ With Mike Tyson. The podcast became a tremendous hit, largely thanks to its fan base’s wide range of age groups.
Listeners enjoyed Tyson’s candid conversations, and it was one of the most popular combat sports-related podcasts at the time.
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The legendary boxer also has a YouTube channel with almost 4 million subscribers and recently earned a new set of lucrative endorsement deals with companies such as Smart Cups, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Manscaped, and CopperGel.
Celebrity Boxing Matches and Exhibition Fights
Despite running a successful cannabis business and side hustles with the media, The Baddest Man on the Planet made bank in recent years after he re-entered the ring in exhibition matches. In 2020, Tyson fought Roy Jones Jr. in eight two-minute rounds, which ended in a draw.
The fight generated substantial pay-per-view sales and media attention, with Tyson reportedly making $10 million (per Fox Sports).
More recently, Tyson fought YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul on November 15, 2024.
According to Bleacher Report, despite Paul emerging as a winner, Tyson earned $20 million from the fight. The Jake Paul fight was streamed live on Netflix and contributed significantly to his net worth.
What’s Next for Mike Tyson?
According to The Independent, Tyson shared that he’s not ready to hang his boxing gloves up after his loss to Jake Paul. Considering the fact that the former heavyweight boxer still possesses the grit and gusto to throw punches in his sixties — a comeback to the ring is definitely in the books.
This also shows that despite his age, Mike Tyson has made the most money from his fight purses throughout his life. He is a testament to how one can rise back up to glory after hitting rock bottom multiple times in one’s life.
Poll Question
What aspect of Tyson's efforts to rebuild his wealth do you find most impressive?
Launching Tyson 2.0
His acting career
Hosting a podcast
Participating in exhibition fights
What do you think ?
Definitely a Human 1 month ago
Crazy how people see this convicted rapist, who violently assaulted a coworker on live TV, and are just like, yeah let's put him in movies and let him start a business selling d***s.
Definitely a Human 1 month ago
Crazy how people see this convicted rapist, who violently assaulted a coworker on live TV, and are just like, yeah let's put him in movies and let him start a business selling d***s.
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