Mike Tyson and Spike Lee Try to Knock Out Broadway

Mike Tyson has taken off his gloves and grabbed a script, partnering with director Spike Lee to launch a Broadway play that will showcase the ups and downs of his tumultuous life. The Broadway performance is entitled Mike Tyson-Undisputed Truth.

The one-man play directed by Spike Lee is a personal look inside the mind and life of one of the most feared men ever to wear the heavyweight crown. Tyson said he is thrilled to bring his story to the stage. “Sharing the highlights and lowlights of my life with New York is especially important to me as I was raised in Brooklyn,” Tyson told ESPN. “I am thrilled to bring the story to Broadway.”

Mike Tyson – Undisputed Truth will be the first time the heavyweight champion has hit the stage since his brawl with boxer Lennox Lewis, reported the New York Daily—Tyson and Lewis went toe to toe in 2008, fighting in the Hudson Theatre during a press conference. During the fracas, Tyson bit Lewis on the leg.

Mike Tyson – The Undisputed Truth will be a variation of the shows Tyson performed at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. But a Broadway audience may be a bit harder to please than the lively gamblers of a Las Vegas casino. But Lee has faith in the fighter, telling the Daily News, “Mike has lifted himself off the canvas. It’s a great story and Mike tells it masterfully.”

The 46-year-old is anxious to showcase another skill besides his right hook. “Denzel’s not playing Mike Tyson. Sam Jackson isn’t playing Mike Tyson, it’s Mike Tyson,” Tyson said in an interview. “It takes a lot courage.” Mike Tyson – Undisputed Truth will have a six-night limited run July 31 – August 5th at the Longacre Theatre.