Longtail

Subterms

    More stories

    • 250 Shares99 Views

      in Boxing

      Mike Tyson lined up for Last Dance-style Netflix doc after Jake Paul fight with legend involved in multiple TV projects

      by

      MIKE TYSON is ready to bash Jake Paul – and then become a TV smash-hit.Iron Mike, 58, aims to roll back the years this Friday when he takes on the YouTuber-turned-fighter in Texas.Mike Tyson is gearing up to face Youtuber Jake Paul this FridayCredit: ReutersThe former world champ has already got his eyes set on expanding his TV and film careerCredit: GettyThe wrecking ball, once dubbed the baddest man on the planet, couldn’t resist another battle in the ring – a whopping 19 years from his last proper fight against journeyman Kevin McBride.A tasty pay packet edging close to £30 million helped with the decision-making, although Andrew Ruf, Tyson’s manager for the last four years, isn’t ruling out further bouts.”I thought it would be one and done,” Ruf told SunSport about possibly more fights. “But I’ve learned not to put limitations on Mike Tyson. He has very little to prove, but he wants to keep competing at a high level.”READ MORE BOXING NEWSHowever, if this is the last time Tyson dons the gloves, the former world heavyweight champ will still produce the goods.Ruf revealed to SunSport several exciting TV and film projects the legendary boxer is involved in, some of which will be released “within the next year.”The Los Angeles-based entertainment veteran says Tyson is working on a Last Dance-style documentary for Netflix that will chronicle his incredible career, including all the turbulent ups and downs and current training footage.He’s also working on a “Boardwalk Empire kind of show” set in the 1920s, with the fight legend, obsessed with boxing’s rich history, helping shape the storyline.Most read in BoxingTyson is working on a Michael Jordan Last Dance-style documentary on NetflixCredit: NetflixJake Paul has won 10 of his 11 fightsCredit: GettyTyson took a chunk out of Evander Holyfield’s ear in 1997Credit: AFPFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSRuf says Tyson blew away the producers with the depth of his knowledge, which went from boxing to politics while incorporating the crime families involved.”I had him on with the two very talented showrunners nominated for an Academy Award, and they were pitching him the show,” he revealed.Mike Tyson knocking TEETH out in sparring for Jake Paul fight as training partner sends out brutal warning”It was like watching a master class light up when Mike started talking about the history, characters, and politics.”Tyson’s legendary mentor, Cuss D’Amato, found him as a raw 13-year-old before turning him into one of the most feared—and youngest—heavyweight champs in history. D’Amato sowed the seed of discovery that morphed into his “encyclopedic” knowledge.”Mike ended up giving all of us the lecture on what New York was like at the turn of the century,” Ruff added.There are also ongoing plans for another documentary centered on Brownsville, Brooklyn, where he grew up in his hometown, and a potential live show centred around the 2013 autobiography Undisputed Truth.Tyson may have blown a reported £300 million since his glorious, power-packed heyday – with drug addictions and prison terms threatening to dilute his sporting legacy –  but his recovery has been equally startling.With business manager Adam Wilkes pulling the strings of their Tyson 2.0 company, he has enjoyed massive success with a cannabis company and invested in vegetarian, fast food company Mr. Charlie. A now legendary cameo in the 2009 classic The Hangover set the stall out for this latest foray into TV and film.”I’ve been honoured to be a part of seeing Mike’s resurgence, redefinition, and what he’s been able to do on the business venture side,” admitted Ruf.Tyson may want to shove Paul’s bravado back down his throat, but his opponent’s ability to create a multi-million dollar business empire from scratch while raking in the dollars by showing the bravery to step into the ring has to be respected.Mike Tyson appeared in The Hangover which won a Golden Globe in 2010Credit: GettyJAKE PAUL VS MIKE TYSON: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF HUGE BOUTRuf agrees and admits: “I’m incredibly impressed with Jake’s self-promotion and impact on the sport. “Part of Mike’s appeal for this fight is how his presence spans five generations, from my 86-year-old father to my 11-year-old son. “Jake brings younger audiences, which opens up new business and sports opportunities.”Netflix has only just started to explore sports coverage—they screened a tennis match between Rafa Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz earlier this year and enjoyed huge success with their F1 Drive to Survive series.Ruf, however, predicts that following their work on a “perfect storm” of a clash between Tyson and the 27-year-old Paul, there will be a distinct “blurring of the lines between sporting events and streaming.””They’re ahead of the curve,” he said.He was known as the ‘baddest man on the planet’ after becoming the youngest heavyweight world champ aged 20Credit: Getty”We negotiated with Netflix, which has been a great partner on other projects we’ve worked on, like Stranger Things and Outer Banks,” Ruf added. “We could have chosen pay-per-view, but this Netflix deal will likely set records. The only event it might rival is the Super Bowl.”Tyson may be approaching 60, yet the fascination remains.The AT&T Stadium in Arlington, the stunning home of the Dallas Cowboys, will be jam-packed while millions around the globe tune in to see if Paul’s punching power really matches the size of his mouth.Whatever happens, according to Ruf, Iron Mike’s status as a sporting great – whether you like him or not – will never be in doubt.”Mike Tyson is in a category of one as a performer, as an athlete,” he said. READ MORE SUN STORIES”I think what’s incredible about him is not just his star power or the fact that he’s 58 years old and looks invincible.”His story – the rise of Mike Tyson, the fall of Mike Tyson, and his persistence as a human being- define him. That’s why people are so drawn to him.”Counting down to Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson…READ MORE on all the build-up to the massive clash in Texas on Netflix…All the info:Latest news and features: More

    • 250 Shares99 Views

      in Boxing

      Mike Tyson rejected Sylvester Stallone’s offer to fight in Rocky movie says ex-manager ahead of Netflix bout v Jake Paul

      by

      RORY Holloway and Mike Tyson’s paths first crossed in 1982 when the aspiring boxer was living in a juvenile detention home in upstate New York.Introduced by a mutual friend, when the soon-to-be heavyweight champion of the world was just 16, they soon became firm friends and began living together.Rory Holloway was Mike Tyson’s best friend and former managerHolloway met Tyson when he was just 16 before he became a global superstarCredit: Courtesy of Rory HollowayAccording to Holloway, Tyson refused to star in a Rocky film if he lost Sylvester Stallone’s famous characterFour years later, Tyson would ask Holloway to be his manager in the lobby of a Las Vegas hotel after defeating Trevor Berbick for the WBC title.Moments before that, Tyson would reject a leading role in Rocky – when Sylvester Stallone asked him if he would be interested in starring in the Hollywood franchise.In 1997 the pair parted ways – with Tyson’s senses distorted by the hangers-on in his life and the dissolution of Team Tyson.He accused his former promoter Don King of mismanaging his funds, while Holloway and John Horne were also sued for failing to protect his interests in dealings with King.Read more Mike Tyson newsThe matter was settled out of court, with Tyson receiving $14million.But, for Holloway, there was no bad blood. SunSport caught up with the ex-impresario who spoke candidly about his time managing the biggest sports star in the world.Holloway revealed how he had to react quickly to Tyson’s impulsive demands to please the boxing champ. For Holloway, managing Tyson was “totally chaotic.”Most read in Boxing’Is it fixed?’ Mike Tyson’s ex-trainer has serious questions about the Jake Paul fightIt started with that first act – snubbing Rocky and movie star fame.He told SunSport: “We’re chatting in the lobby after he became champ and Sylvester Stallone comes towards us.”He stops and says to Mike, ‘Hey Mike, great fight – congratulations. Maybe we need to talk about you being in the next Rocky movie?”Mike looked at him and nonchalantly replied, ‘Let me ask you something. In the movie, will you beat me?’ Stallone said, ‘Yeah, it’s Rocky.'”Then Mike said, ‘Hell, no. I wouldn’t even let you beat me for play.’ I thought that was crazy.”Despite turning down an opportunity at film stardom, Mike still had to wrestle with being a cultural icon.Holloway explained: “At that time, there were three Mikes. Jordan, Jackson, and Tyson. Out of the three, I think Michael Jackson and Mike Tyson were global phenomenons.”Tyson, because he was a young kid coming up from the background he did, created such an interest in the public eye.”You couldn’t go anywhere. Everywhere you’d go, time would stop. Back in Harlem, they’d have to shut it down if we visited because thousands of people would want to meet him.”That fame made life a little difficult. He wanted to be normal, but he couldn’t.”At times he was his own worst enemy. It was both difficult, but it was also a pleasure and an honour.”It was tough on Mike and it was tough on me – trying to wrap my arms around him and protect him.”The more money he got, the more difficult it got. And Mike had a very impulsive personality at that time.I always felt it was my job to protect him.”But sometimes you can’t protect people from themselves.””We could make plans, but the only thing that would count would be the next two minutes.”I had a lot thrust upon me. I was his closest friend, but at the same time I was his manager managing his fight career.”Sometimes it became difficult because the lines were blurred, and they started getting more blurred as we got older.”I always felt it was my job to protect him. But sometimes you can’t protect people from themselves.”Wherever Tyson went, huge crowds followed him, especially in HarlemHolloway revealed it was almost impossible planning Tyson’s training campsCredit: Courtesy of Rory HollowayTyson and promoter Don King celebrate Holloway’s wedding dayCredit: Courtesy of Rory HollowayHolloway remembered a moment that summed up Tyson’s behaviours.He continued: “We were preparing for a fight, and usually about 14 weeks before the fight I would set up the camp.”I had people who did that for me, so I’d told them once we were setting up in Flagstaff, Arizona.”These guys had 18-wheeler trucks. They brought all Mike’s equipment – all his rings, TV’s, and we’d rent out a whole hotel. They would give us the kitchen and I’d bring our private chefs.”Before Mike went out there he asked me if everything was set up.”He trained one or two days, then all of a sudden he was bored and told me, ‘I don’t wanna train here.’ I said to him, ‘What do you mean you don’t want to train here? We brought out almost a million dollars worth of equipment and we rented out a whole hotel!'”I’d tried my best to make it to his liking, even going overboard. But he didn’t want to train.”I thought to myself, we’ll give it a couple of days, he would settle down.”But I woke up the next morning and he was gone!””Next I know, Mike is in Vegas! He called me and I asked, ‘What you doing in Vegas?’Tyson’s impulsive nature made him difficult to manage said HollowayOnce Holloway got Tyson into the ring, he knew his job was done”And he said, ‘Bring all the stuff here! I want to train here’. So we had to bring all the equipment to Las Vegas, it cost us a fortune. We got to Vegas and after a few days there he said to me, ‘I don’t wanna train here, I want to go to Ohio!'”Holloway added: “It was crazy. But when he put his mind to something, you had to accommodate him.”Once I got him in the ring and saw him touch gloves with an opponent, it was like a weight had lifted off my shoulders.”I didn’t even care about the fight, I was just happy to have got him where I needed to get him.”In 1986, Mike created history at the Las Vegas Hilton when he knocked out Trevor Berbick in the second round of the WBC heavyweight title contestHolloway was there for the moment that would change both their lives.At the time he was working at a juvenile detention centre, and was in Sin City to support his friend.By the end of the night, Holloway would become part of Team Tyson.”That’s probably one of the most memorable times in my life,” Holloway said. “It was a historical fight, he becomes the youngest ever heavyweight champion, and I then met him in the hotel lobby.Tyson floored Trevor Berbick to become the youngest ever heavyweight championOn that night, Tyson made Holloway his manager”I told Mike I had to go to Albany because if I didn’t go back I wouldn’t have a job.”Mike held the belts up to me and said, ‘We used to eat baloney together, now we’re going to eat steak. Tell them you quit.”Working alongside Tyson during his hey day was legendary promoter Don King.King and Tyson would fall out over the belief King had stolen money from him.A legal battle which dragged Holloway’s name into the mud ensued, with Tyson eventually getting a $14million payment.Holloway insisted he has nothing but respect for King, who helped them all achieve a privileged position.”I never had a problem with Don,” Holloway divulged.Tyson stands with Holloway, left, John Horn, right, and promoter Don KingWithout Don King, Tyson wouldn’t have made a $500m fortune claimed Hollowayread more sport features”In the sport of boxing, I gathered as much information that I could from him from his experience.”He gave me business acumen, and he understood my position as Mike’s best friend.”Don had an influence on Mike to a certain extent. But Mike really relied on me to deal with Don, as the middle man. There were scrapes, little small issues, but he never really had a problem with Don.”Most of the issues were due to Mike, in my opinion. A lot of people try and say different things, but the fact of the matter for us was that promoter brought us almost $500million. That’s the bottom line.”He allowed us to change trajectory on how much fighters got paid. We revolutionised that and it wouldn’t have happened without Don. “Don was able to leverage the whole Mike Tyson brand. I know what he meant to us.”In 1992, Tyson was convicted of rape and sentenced to six years in an Indiana prison.He would serve three, before being released on parole. Holloway visited him every month to check on his friend.Tyson arrives in court in 1992 to face charges of rapeTyson was released after three years on parole”Mike was always in a very sombre mood (in prison)”, Holloway recalled.”I would drive from New York to Indiana every first week of the month and I would sit down with him for a few hours and talk.”We never discussed anything passed prison. We never discussed what he was going to do when he got out.”It made me come to the conclusion he wasn’t going to box again. He lost so much weight and he didn’t look like Mike Tyson. He must have weighed about 180 pounds.”His eating habits were different. We’d talk about life, our family, where we started and came from, going down memory lane.”Four months before he got out, I found out that he really wanted to fight.”Mike and I came from abject poverty.”All of a sudden you get all this wealth and it’s like a tap, you don’t see it cutting off soon.”When Tyson got out, a huge fortune awaited him. Although, he was already spending up to £50,000 on piece on his new fascination, Tigers.”I don’t know how he came up with this fascination for tigers,” Holloway laughed.”Next thing you know, we had tigers in the house, a leopard… next minute, he was asking about getting a giraffe and a hippo.”We were at the house and tigers were walking around like pets and laying in the garage.Mike Tyson loved owning exotic pets when he was at the top of the fight gameHolloway recalled tigers walking around his home like domestic pets”At one point he talked about buying the house next door, tearing it down and building a big moat with palm trees so the tigers could feel at home.”The background we came from, we never had anything growing up.”Mike and I came from abject poverty. All of a sudden you get all this wealth and it’s like a tap, you don’t see it cutting off soon. Every couple of months, he’s fighting and he’s getting $30million or $40million.”Holloway and Tyson went their separate ways in 1997, which still hurts Holloway today.”Nothing ever happened. It was one of those situations where we just grew apart,” he said.People see you doing good and they want to be in your position.”I was a target, I had that on my head.””When it happened, I think people made a bigger deal out of it than there was. Mike and I never had an argument. It’s just something that happened.”He and I will always have a connection, he’s the godfather to my kids, and I will always support him up close or from afar.”The rumour mill took a toll on me. People saying I allowed people to take advantage of Mike and take his money, that was tough.”Mike would know I would never let that happen intentionally.”Outsiders came in and drew a wedge between us, they had an objective.”People see you doing good and they want to be in your position. I was a target, I had that on my head.READ MORE SUN STORIES”When we went our separate ways, there wasn’t any beef and that never gave me closure. Life has to go on. But that’s something that always lingers inside of me, in my heart.”I had nothing but good times with Mike. He afforded me and my family things that I may never have had, and the journey was amazing.”Holloway and Tyson went their separate ways in 1997Credit: Courtesy of Rory HollowayHolloway admitted he misses his friend, TysonCredit: Courtesy of Rory Holloway More

    • 250 Shares99 Views

      in Boxing

      ‘You don’t know who I am’, says ex-world champ Tony Bellew after being escorted out of Jake Paul press conference

      by

      TONY BELLEW gatecrashed Jake Paul and Mike Tyson’s press conference – before being embarrassingly booted out. YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul brings heavyweight great Tyson back to the ring after TWO DECADES out on Friday in Texas.Tony Bellew gatecrashed Jake Paul’s press conferenceBut he was kicked out by securityThe showdown has come under heavy scrutiny amid the 31-year age gap with ex-cruiserweight champion Bellew among those outraged. But he cashed in on the controversy himself by anchoring a painfully unfunny stunt for bookmakers Paddy Power.Bellew introduced what he called a great grandfather as a potential next opponent for 27-year-old Paul. The retired boxer – maybe best known for his endless TV stints nowadays – was then escorted out by security. READ MORE IN BOXINGBut footage captured by SunSport shows the jumped up hardman taking exception with the security guards doing their job. At one point, Bellew says: “You don’t know who I am. Don’t put your hands on me.” Bellew, 41, retired in 2018 after a crushing loss to Oleksandr Usyk, 37, after a glittering world title-winning career. JAKE PAUL VS MIKE TYSON: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF HUGE BOUTCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSHe has since moved into punditry for DAZN while starring on TV shows like I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!Most read in BoxingEven press conference host Ariel Helwani was shocked at Bellew’s appearance at the Toyota Music Factory in Irving. He said: “Is that Tony Bellew? That looks like Tony Bellew. Is that Tony Bellew?” Tyson returns for the first time as a professional since 2005 when he quit on his stool and threw the towel in on his career.He did have a 2020 exhibition bout with fellow great Roy Jones Jr – but this time he is back for real.Tyson, 58, takes on Paul, 27, over eight two-minute rounds – opposed to the usual three – with bigger 14oz gloves on instead of 10oz.Mike Tyson facing off with Jake PaulCredit: Getty More

    • 263 Shares179 Views

      in Boxing

      Mike Tyson used to wear world title belt to NIGHTCLUBS… but only began boxing after bully broke his pet pigeon’s NECK

      by

      AT THE peak of his deadly powers Mike Tyson would parade his world title belt around in NIGHTCLUBS.But his iconic, complicated and somehow unfinished boxing career only started after a local thug snapped the neck of Tyson’s pet pigeon.Mike Tyson parades his heavyweight titles belts aroundCredit: News Group Newspapers LtdTyson has always loved birdsCredit: GettyLegendary boxing manager Shelly Finkel first met Tyson when the heavyweight was just a teenager in the early 1980s.They were both from Brooklyn, with Tyson born and raised in the poverty-stricken neighborhood of Brownsville. Despite weighing over 13 STONE as a young boy, Tyson was picked on for the way he talked and for his love of pigeons. But it was after one bully killed a pet pigeon of his that his talent for fighting was discovered. READ MORE TYSON VS PAULFinkel told SunSport: “Remember Mike grew up really tough in Brownsville. He had it rough because he was a big kid with a lisp.”It was until that incident on the roof when one of the, I guess local thugs, twisted the neck of his pigeon and killed it and Mike went crazy.”And at that point, Mike realised he had this power.”Tyson was arrested almost 40 times by the age of 13, which landed him in the Tryon School for Boys in Johnstown. Most read in SportJAKE PAUL VS MIKE TYSON: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF HUGE BOUTCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSThere, his juvenile detention centre counsellor Bobby Stewart introduced Tyson into boxing. He was such a natural that Stewart insisted legendary coach Cus D’Amato had to see it for himself. Fans get first look of Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson training camp with Iron Mike ‘looking like he’s 25 again’And D’Amato was immediately convinced he had America’s next heavyweight champion on his hands.The mentor later brought Tyson in as a son of his own, training, housing and fathering the future boxing great. Finkel said: “Cus says, ‘This kid is going to be heavyweight champion.’ “And Mike’s thinking to himself, ‘Who is this loony old white man? But I’ll go with him.'”Cus wanted to fulfil his last dream, which is to see another heavyweight champ he created, Mike wanted to get out of prison, it was a better life for him.”It was an arrangement basically. And Mike told me he loved that old man like you can’t imagine, and I said I believe it.”Sadly, D’Amato died in 1985, just a year before his prediction came true of Tyson becoming boxing’s youngest heavyweight champ of all time.Cus D’Amato with a teenage TysonTyson knocked out Trevor Berbick in 1986Credit: APTyson became boxing’s youngest heavyweight champ of all time aged 20Credit: AFPCounting down to Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson…READ MORE on all the build-up to the massive clash in Texas on Netflix…All the info:Latest news and features: He was not there to witness Tyson demolish Trevor Berbick in two savage rounds at the age of just 20 – but Finkel was.And he remembers: “Sitting in the front row, I’ve had a lot of exciting moments in this sport, that had a rank up there.”Guy goes down, gets up, goes down, gets up, goes down. He hit him right on the temple. The equilibrium was gone and Mike was champion.” Tyson became an overnight sensation – and wanted everyone to know it. Finkel said: “He kept that belt on him, it was the WBC belt, he slept with it.”I saw him the following Monday, I was out that night and I saw him in a club, he gave me a hug and I said, ‘Mike, the belt is squashing me!'”He took it everywhere. It just was wrapped around him and he wouldn’t let it go and I get it. “Here’s a kid from a very poor background, I know what Brownsville is because it was a joining area that I grew up in. “It was poor as poor can be and if you lived past you 20s, you were lucky with the drugs, gangs.”Now he’s on an ascendancy, knocking people out with devastating anger. He was rather intimidating.”Tyson, next to promoter Don King, was a proud championCredit: GettyHe became a star overnightCredit: GettyJAKE PAUL VS MIKE TYSON: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF HUGE BOUTTyson went on a knockout streak never-before-seen in boxing and unlikely to be replicated.But when he went crashing to the canvas against James Buster Douglas in 1990 – so did his career and reputation. Finkel, who was there that night in Tokyo to witness the 42-1 upset, said: “It gets to a certain point where you don’t believe the other guy deserves to be in the ring with you and you don’t train the way you would if you were gonna fight other people.”Tyson did later reclaim the title in 1996, just a year after coming out of prison having spent three years behind bars for a rape conviction. Finkel later became Tyson’s full-time manager and had the job of building back Iron Mike’s reputation. James ‘Buster’ Douglas stunned Tyson in 1990Credit: ReutersTyson spent three years in prison from 1992Credit: AFPShelly Finkel formerly managed TysonCredit: EPAFinkel first met Tyson when the boxer was a teenagerCredit: AP:Associated PressThe former music mogul took Tyson’s career to Europe, the UK and all parts of America until two dismal defeats came in 2004 and 2005. First, Tyson was beaten by Britain’s Danny Williams in Kentucky before Kevin McBride put the final nail in the coffin in Washington, DC. But Finkel reveals Tyson – set to make a controversial comeback to fight Jake Paul – was beaten before the bell even rang against McBride.He said: “Before his fight, he said, ‘I just don’t have the desire.’ “I said, ‘Well, you trained already and should be able to beat this guy anyway. And he didn’t.”And he said, ‘That’s it.’ But now he’s 58 and he’s stepping into the ring with someone that at any other time earlier would have been something easy. It may not be easy anymore.”Finkel remains in touch with Tyson and his team, including third wife Lakiha Spicer ahead of his boxing return. The two-time champ – who did face Roy Jones Jr in a 2020 exhibition – takes on YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul on Friday in Texas. READ MORE SUN STORIESIt will be a professionally-sanctioned bout competed over eight two-minute rounds – opposed to the usual three – with bigger 14oz gloves. And it will be yet another chapter in the weird and wonderful career of Tyson – but it remains to be scene whether it will be the last. Tyson, 58, fights YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, 27Credit: Rex More

    • 275 Shares109 Views

      in Soccer

      Gary Lineker ‘could be snapped up by Netflix & DOUBLE £30m fortune’ after building TV empire away from Match of the Day

      by

      HE may be giving up his £1.36 million-a-year job, but the BBC’s highest-paid star will be just fine after building a canny media empire of his own.We revealed this week that Gary Lineker will be leaving Match of the Day after 25 years at the end of this season.Gary Lineker will leave Match of the Day at the end of the seasonCredit: BBCHis own company has had success with documentaries like Football, Prince William & Our Mental HealthCredit: BBC SportHe has struck deals for the likes for Vision Express. Pictured in a photoshoot for the brandCredit: SWNSThe football pundit will quit the BBC after anchoring the Corporation’s 2025/26 FA Cup coverage and the next World Cup.In a statement confirming he’s stepping down, Lineker said: “I’m delighted to continue my long association with BBC Sport and would like to thank all those who made this happen.”While many might shudder at the thought of stepping away from such a well-paid role, Lineker’s booming projects away from the Beeb could still see his estimated £30million fortune DOUBLE in the coming years, according to experts.And it’s all thanks to his TV production company, Goalhanger Films.READ MORE SPORTS FEATURESThe firm has already been behind high-profile BBC shows, including Football, Prince William And Our Mental Health in 2020, but it’s also found success with steaming giants, selling a Serena Williams documentary to Amazon last year.Brand and culture expert Nick Ede believes big beasts like Netflix will now have Lineker’s future projects in his sights – and could reward him with a multi-million pound deal, if David Beckham’s £20 million payday was anything to go by.He tells us: “This is a golden moment for Gary to make even more money, spread his broadcasting wings and create compelling content that will help him double his wealth. “I’m sure he will be selling his documentaries and series back to the BBC but now he has the option to sell to the highest bidders with the biggest viewership, making him one of the most powerful men in the media and it’s only going to get more successful for him as the demand is increasing.Most read in Football“Netflix has massive budgets and knows that his shows rate really well, like his Prince William doc. “With his black book full of the greatest sports stars in the world – and royals – plus Netflix’s high demand for content, he will be top of their list for programmes, and could earn tens of millions.”Watch first look trailer for BBC’s ‘Football, Prince William and Our Mental Health’Goalhanger also has an extremely successful podcast production arm, which is now signed up with global entertainment agency WME.In 2022, Lineker hailed  the “incredible growth” of Goalhanger Podcasts, and admitted he could leave the BBC to work on it full time – so it’s very possible that’s what his plans are.He told The New Statesman: “Maybe. Who knows? Life’s thrown many things at me. And I’m 61. “We don’t really know what the boundaries are in terms of growth. But it’s a very, very good business.”Brand dealsThe Rest Is Football podcast has over 320,000 subscribers on YouTubeCredit: The Rest Is FootballLineker has been the face of Walkers for 30 yearsCredit: AlamyHis company has also sold a Serena Williams documentary to AmazonCredit: AFPGoalhanger has produced some of the biggest podcasts in the country, including The Rest Is Politics , hosted by Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart, and The Rest Is History, presented by Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook.And it has found success Stateside recently, too, launching The Rest Is Politics: US.Last year, Gary began fronting The Rest is Football podcast with Micah Richards and Alan Shearer – which has 320,000 subscribers on YouTube.And Nick thinks he’ll continue to earn even more from YouTube thanks to his many brand deals.His most famous is Walkers – who he’s been working with for 30 years, and appeared in over 150 adverts for.Lineker is estimated to earn around £1 million a year from the crisps giant, and signed another three-year deal with them in 2022.He’s also got his own range of specs in high street chain Vision Express, with glasses frames starting at £99 and sunglasses at £39.Shirts brand TM Lewin, also signed Lineker up, to promote its budget range, starting at £25. In 2023, he launched his own line with Next, modelling his own clothes online.Having previously also hosted for the likes of NBC and TNT Sports, Nick says a move to YouTube for Lineker may be on the cards – as he’ll be free from the BBC guidelines.He adds: “He will soon be using YouTube to carry on his football commentary and be able to monetise this.“Without the BBC stronghold for limited commercial activity, he will be getting offers from brands who want to piggyback on the perennial success of his Walkers crisps ads and maximise on his popularity.”Lavish lifeLineker has a £4m mansion in BarnesCredit: SWNS:South West News ServiceThis includes a £50k Jaguar F-PaceCredit: JaguarLineker’s business acumen has led to him owning a £4 million home in Barnes, London – complete with gym and cinema – as well as a car collection worth over £300,000.That included his super-smart Jaguar F-Pace, worth around £50,000.But he’s also been seen riding a Mercedes SL550, BMW 650i convertible, Range Rover Sport and a Jaguar XJ.The hotshot striker was even spied in a £20,000 Mini Cooper Turbo once upon a time.READ MORE SUN STORIESThe car collector has also invested in insurance company, Ticker, which aims to reduce premiums for drivers between the ages of 17 and 25, and is backed by former Formula 1 driver Mark Blundell.Nick finishes: “Lineker has cleverly created a media business that doesn’t need to rely on him and is set to make much more money after BBC.”Lineker has a range with NextCredit: NextHe broke BBC guidelines when he wore his range on the EurosCredit: BBC More

    • 263 Shares169 Views

      in Boxing

      Mike Tyson’s biggest fight is battle with addictions to sex and drugs, but one woman has helped turn his life around

      by

      MIKE TYSON might be fighting Jake Paul on Friday night but the biggest battle of his life has come outside the ring.The legendary heavyweight, 58, who became the youngest world champion in the division’s history at the age of just 20, suffered years of addiction to sex and drug addiction.Mike Tyson holds the record as the youngest ever world heavyweight championCredit: GettyTyson and actress Robin Givens had a one-year marriage in the late 1980sCredit: GettyThe boxer battled sex and drug addiction for yearsCredit: AP:Associated PressTyson has hailed third wife Lakiha Spicer for turning his life aroundCredit: GettyNowadays he has a calmer persona, largely thanks to the influence of his third wife, Lakiha Spicer.He does still regularly smoke cannabis – although he has claimed he has given it up while training for the showdown with YouTuber Paul.But his current dabbling in recreational drugs pales in comparison with stories of his various addictions from years ago – which stretches all the way back to him taking acid at the age of just 11.Many of Tyson’s sexual exploits took place during the height of his boxing fame in the 1980s.READ MORE ON PAUL VS TYSONSex with groupies before fightsHis former bodyguard and chauffeur, Rudy Gonzalez, recalled back in 2021 that Tyson would have sex with “groupies” in the dressing room before fights to avoid “killing” his opponents.Gonzalez explained: “One of the greatest secrets with Mike was that he needed to have sex in the dressing room before fights.”I would have to find a groupie, it did not matter who it was. He’d say ‘if I do not get laid I will kill this guy right now’.”Mike had to get laid to disengage some of the strength he had. So I had girls tucked away in bathrooms and changing rooms.Most read in BoxingJAKE PAUL VS MIKE TYSON: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF HUGE BOUTTyson and Givens married when the boxer was in his early 20sCredit: GettyThey swiftly separated but carried on dating, before Tyson caught Givens in bed with actor Brad PittCredit: Getty”Sometimes he’d go in with them for a minute, bang the s*** out of them, snap his neck and say: ‘Okay this guy is going to live tonight’.”His biggest fear was that he would kill someone in that ring. He knew he could do it.UFC chief Dana White reveals chat with Mike Tyson’s wife ahead of Jake Paul fight”I still see some of the guys he fought. I was there at ringside seeing these huge men crying, bones shattering or their blood flying everywhere.”It is no exaggeration to say Mike was like a train hitting these guys. Having sex was his way of disengaging that power and loosening up a bit.”‘Pure hell’ living with TysonTyson had a whirlwind 12-month marriage to his first wife, actress Robin Givens, in the late 80s.Prior to their official separation, Givens described her husband as a “manic depressive” and labelled living with him as “torture, pure hell”.They continued seeing each other after their divorce, before Tyson walked in on Givens sleeping with Hollywood actor Brad Pitt.Tyson went to prison for three years in 1992 for the rape of Desiree Washington.But being locked up did not curb his sex addiction as he claimed he slept with a prison counsellor in the hope of having his sentence reduced.After being released, he tied the knot with second wife, Monica Turner, in 1997 – a marriage that lasted six years.Tyson married second wife Monica Turner in 1997Credit: ReutersThey split in 2003 after Turner filed for divorce claiming Tyson had cheated on herCredit: EPAThey ended up having two children together – Rayna and Amir – but the relationship did not last as Turner filed for divorce after claiming adultery.Many of the years which could have been Tyson’s best in the ring were curtailed by addiction issues.While heavily addicted to cocaine he walked his pet white tigers around wearing only his pants, tried to fight a gorilla in a zoo, and hosted orgies with scores of women, including mothers and daughters.He even claims to have cheated boxing drugs tests by using a fake penis and urine from his ex-wife and daughter.Speaking about that period of his life, he said: “Cocaine was a hell of a drug and back then I was out of my mind living crazy.”I was not being responsible or being present. But that is what my life is all about now.”The little bullied kid I was growing up is always inside me but now I know how to protect him.”I didn’t know how to do that before, that’s why I was doing such crazy stuff and getting in trouble.”Tyson was jailed for assaulting two men in 1999 – having served three years for rape between 1992 and 1995Credit: AFPTyson admits he was drunk and high when meeting The Hangover cast in 2007Credit: GettyTyson’s addiction to drugs went on for a number of years while his run-ins with the law also continued as he was jailed for assaulting two men in 1999.In 2003, he filed for bankruptcy after blowing his £330million fortune.He has also admitted to being drunk and high when meeting the cast of the 2007 film The Hangover in which the boxing icon plays a cameo role.In 2012, when discussing the filming of the movie, he told The Planet: “I was a mess. I was overweight. I was a pig, high on cocaine.”The woman who tamed himThings began to take a turn for the better in 2009 when he married third wife, Spicer, 43.The pair were first introduced by promoter Don King who introduced Spicer to Tyson when she was 18 years of age.They finally began dating in the mid-2000s and married two weeks after the tragic death of Tyson’s daughter, Exodus – one of his seven children.They tied the knot shortly after Spicer served six months in federal jail for defrauding £60,000 from a company owned by her father.Tyson has spoken glowingly about the positive impact third wife Spicer has had on himCredit: GettyThe couple have now been married for 15 yearsCredit: RexYet despite being locked up herself for a short period, Tyson insists Spicer has had a hugely positive effect on him.She left prison carrying Tyson’s baby and found the ex-boxer hopelessly addicted to drugs.While he still smokes weed – and now owns a cannabis business – he has stopped taking hard drugs thanks to the support of his partner.He told US magazine People: “I’m very happy me and my wife got together, because I don’t know how I would have survived out there.”It is true, Tyson is not a completely changed man, admitting on rapper T.I.’s ExpediTIously podcast as recently as 2021 that he had only been faithful to Spicer for the last two years.But he is an improved person heading into his boxing return against Paul.And he puts that positive change down to the impact of Spicer who he has two children with – daughter Milan and son Morocco Elijah.READ MORE SUN STORIESTyson added: “I’m a soldier. I can’t think for myself. I need someone to do it.”I know myself. Without my wife, I’m a wild animal.” More

    • 188 Shares139 Views

      in Soccer

      Five potential new careers for Gary Lineker after quitting MOTD including politics and celebrity chef

      by

      GARY LINEKER’S decision to quit Match of the Day has sent speculation soaring over his next career move.The BBC’s best-paid presenter, 63, has fronted British football’s most famous highlights show for 25 years.Gary Lineker is looking for something new after MOTDCredit: BBCLineker’s rising interest in cooking included becoming ‘ Chef Gaz’ for fellow presenter Piers MorganCredit: Instagram/piersmorganLineker will step down as Match of the Day presenter at the end of the campaign, although he will front the BBC’s FA Cup coverage next season before hosting at the World Cup and then stepping down.He will take a pay cut and could focus on his interests outside of the BBC, namely his Goalhanger podcasting business which is proving to be a hit.A BBC source told The Sun: “Gary absolutely adores Match of the Day, and has been incredibly happy at the BBC.“He wants to leave on a high – and if England win the World Cup, it doesn’t get much higher.READ MORE TOP FOOTBALL“It’s one of the industry’s worst kept secrets that the new BBC Director of Sport Alex Kay-Jelski and Gary aren’t exactly close. The former is very keen to make his mark by bringing in new faces, and slashing wage bills.“Gary is incredibly popular with both players and viewers, and news of his departure will send shockwaves around the Corporation. In other words, no-one is immune from change.“Gary will be 65 when he leaves; frankly, he isn’t getting younger and just feels the time is right to focus solely on his mogul interests outside the BBC – namely his Goalhanger podcasting business which is becoming huge Stateside.”However there are plenty of possible options for the England legend to pursue as his wry, relaxed manner has won millions of admirers.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSBut his willingness to speak out on controversial matters in recent years has divided opinion.All that, however, only makes Lineker even more marketable – in broadcasting and beyond.Gary Lineker reveals how his views on Match of the Day can sometimes get him into trouble The former Barcelona striker has also hinted at new interests, such as cooking.So what’s the £1.35million-a-year broadcaster got next in his pot?  Here we look at four potential options – with offers sure to flood in.POLITICSLineker has insisted he speaks out on “humanitarian issues” rather than making party-political comments. But he frequently irked the previous Conservative Government with several cutting social media posts.And he might appreciate the freedom to have a voice completely free from BBC guidelines for presenters.Lineker has often stirred national debate, most notably in March 2023 with comments on the UK’s asylum policy – a row which even forced a re-think of Beeb rules.He was briefly taken off air at the time, with fellow BBC commentators backing him by refusing to work.The corporation insist Lineker is “free to contribute to projects for third parties, as long as these do not conflict with his BBC commitments”.But with the ex-Tottenham ace determined to use his large following “as a power for good,” is he ready to become a new type of frontman?CELEBRITY CHEFLineker has emerged as a kitchen connoisseur – after telling the Beeb in the spring he “only started cooking about eight years ago”.Lineker could put his feet up, but will he become a TV cook?Credit: Instagram/piersmorgan“Gambas al ajillo” – Spanish garlic shrimp, to you and me – is his speciality.Such is his devotion to learning, he even cooked “three or four meals a day” during the Covid lockdown “not to eat but to practise”.Piers Morgan labelled Lineker “Chef Gaz” after the MOTD star served what the celebrity Arsenal fan called a “quite delicious feast” in front of the cameras.And don’t forget the 48-goal ex-Three Lions’ marksman has a far better footballing pedigree than Britain’s best-known TV chef – Gordon Ramsay!The Scot briefly trialled for his dream club Rangers aged 15 – but a serious knee injury ruined his playing hopes.JOINING A RIVAL BROADCASTERRecruiting Lineker would certainly be a coup for ANY Beeb rival.The Daily Mail even claimed he approached ITV at one stage over the past two years to assess if they were interested in him.But there’s been little talk of a move from fellow broadcasters like Sky Sports or TNT Sports.And Lineker, whose MOTD contract expires at the end of the season, has regularly stated his strong backing for the BBC.HOSTING OWN TALKSHOWLineker appears to love the laidback style of The Rest is Football podcast – alongside MOTD team-mates Alan Shearer and Micah Richards.Lineker clearly enjoys his podcast with Alan Shearer and Micah RichardsCredit: YouTube/ The Rest Is FootballAnd his willingness to dip his oar into many issues means he’d be in demand for all sorts of shows.He also did longer, more in-depth interviews in front of cameras for the Beeb’s “Gary Lineker Meets” series.But the ex-Leicester City hero has so far not expressed much keenness to branch out into a wider talkshow format.REALITY STARTV bosses would lap up the chance to sign top-target Lineker to just about any show.The renowned presenter has previously been tipped to sign-up for BBC flagship show Strictly Come Dancing.When previously asked by judge Shirley Ballas on Sport Relief if he was keen, Lineker said: “Sorry, I’ve got a Saturday job.”But with his Saturday night’s now free for the first time in 25 years, Lineker is finally free to sign up.READ MORE SUN STORIESOr he could be offered to front up another show away from sport.He previously hosted ITV quiz show Sitting on a Fortune from 2021-2023.Lineker could be getting top marks on a new Saturday evening showCredit: BBC More

    • 263 Shares99 Views

      in Boxing

      Craziest Mike Tyson stories of all time, like trying to fight a gorilla, using ‘fake penis’ and taking acid aged 11

      by

      MIKE TYSON will write yet another crazy chapter into his life story when he returns to the ring this weekend following a near TWO-DECADE hiatus.The formerundisputed heavyweight champion will make the walk to the squared circle early on Saturday morning for the unlikeliest of showdowns.Boxing legend Mike Tyson returns to the ring early on Saturday morning at the ripe old age of 58Credit: GETTYIron Mike will take on YouTube sensation Jake Paul in a crazy crossover clashCredit: GETTYThe fight with Paul is the latest chapter in Tyson’s crazy lifeCredit: NEWS GROUP NEWSPAPERS LTDCraziness and controversy have courted Tyson throughout his careerCredit: AFPIron Mike will make his first professional outing since quitting on the stool in his 2005 money grab against Kevin McBride against social media sensation Jake Paul – at the ripe old age of 58.The booking of a near-pensioner-aged Tyson, who looks to be in phenomenal shape, against the heavy-handed YouTuber has sparked outrage.All parties involved have been blasted, with fighters and fans alike branding the boxing legend “crazy” for stepping into the ring as he approaches the golden years of his life.Craziness and controversy, however, are two things New York native Tyson is all too familiar with as they have followed him around since he reached the pinnacle of the sport back in 1986.READ MORE ON TYSON VS PAULSo with that in mind, SunSport thought it’d only be right to recap some of the craziest moments of Tyson’s life.Taking acid as a child – 1977The streets of Brooklyn, in particular the notoriously rough neighbourhood of Brownsville, exposed a lot to a young Tyson – including drugs.Tyson succumbed to peer pressure and knocked back whatever was passed around to him, including acid at the tender age of eleven.During an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, he admitted: “[I started doing drugs] as a kid, nine, ten years old.Most read in BoxingBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSJAKE PAUL VS MIKE TYSON: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF HUGE BOUT“Smoking and drinking. And as I got older, I tried acid. I was probably 11. Yeah, real young.”Mike Tyson tried acid at the tender age of 11Credit: GETTYFighting with Trevor Berbick with an STI – 1986TYSON FEUD Mike Tyson discusses street fight with Mitch Green before Donald Trump saved his careerThroughout thehistory of boxing, fighters have been compromised going in world title fights.But few can claim to have been dealing with a severe gonorrhoea flare-up as Tyson did before his history-making stoppage of Trevor Berbick in 1986.”I looked at my underpants a day before the fight and I noticed a discharge,” he wrote in his 2013 autobiography. “I had the clap.”I didn’t know if I had contracted it from a prostitute or a filthy young lady. I was given an antibiotic shot by a doctor.”Because of the antibiotic shot, I was dripping like a Good Humor bar [ice cream] in July. But I didn’t care; I was there to nail Berbick.”Mike Tyson fought Trevor Berbick while dealing with a gonorrhoea flare-upCredit: GETTYTrying to fight a Gorilla – 1989Tyson was at the peak of his powers in the late 80’s and felt like King Kong having blown through all comers with complete ease.And during a private trip to New York zoo with ex-wife Robin Givens, he offered a zoo-keeper £7,759 ($10,000) to let him fight a silverback gorilla.He said: “I paid a worker at New York’s zoo to re-open it just for me and Robin.”When we got to the gorilla cage there was one big silverback gorilla there just bullying all the other gorillas.“They were so powerful but their eyes were like an innocent infant.“I offered the attendant $10,000 to open the cage and let me smash that silverback’s snotbox! He declined.”Mike Tyson tried to fight a gorilla at a New York zoo in 1989Credit: GETTYImpregnating a prison guard – 1992-1995Tyson served just under three years in prison from 1992-1995 after being found guilty of rape, a conviction which saw him handed a six-year custodial sentence.And he struck up a relationship with a female prison guard, who he claims to have impregnated after having sex with her multiple times a day.”I had a girlfriend and I got a girl pregnant in prison,” he revealed in an episode of his podcast. “I was living a life in prison.”It was just meant to be. I was Mike Tyson and everybody gave me what I wanted.”Everyone talking like I was some tough guy or some cool guy. I was just a pig.”Mike Tyson had a sexual relationship with a prison guard while he was in prisonCredit: AFPBiting Evander Holyfield’s ear – 1997The most infamous moment of Tyson’s career is undoubtedly his biting of Evander Holyfield’s ear in their 1997 rematch in Las Vegas.Incensed by a number of head clashes with his rival, which he believed were intentional, Tyson twice tried to take a chunk out of Holyfield’s ears.He was successful at the second time of asking, so much so he was forced to spit out the top of Holyfield’s helix after tearing it clean off in the third round.Tyson was disqualified for the barbaric act, which initially earned him a lifetime ban and a £2.3million ($2m) fine. The ban, however, was rescinded 16 months later.”I bit him because I wanted to kill him,” Tyson said of the most famous in-ring incident. “I was really mad about my head being bumped and everything,” Tyson said.”I really lost consciousness of the whole fight. It took me out of my fight plan and everything.”Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield’s ear in their iconic 1997 rematchCredit: AFPTyson took a chunk out of his rival’s left earCredit: GETTYFighting while high – 2000Drugs and alcohol, as they had been for most of his life, were well and truly present in Tyson’s daily routine during his two-fight stint in the UK in the year 2000.And in his 2013 autobiography, he admitted to taking lines of “blow” and puffing on marijuana just moments before his brutal first-round knockout of Lou Savarese at Hampden Park.Mike Tyson obliterated Lou Savarese while high on cocaine and marijuanaCredit: AFPUsing a fake penis to pass a drug test – 2000Passing a drug test was, unsurprisingly, hard for Tyson to do when he was taking narcotics in the build-up to fights.And to ensure he passed the mandatory pre and post-fight tests, he made use of a whizzinator – which is a fake penis that can be worn and filled with clean urine – to fool drug testers.After admitting to being high during his beatdown of Savarese, Tyson wrote in his autobiography: “I had to use my whizzer, which was a fake penis where you put in someone else’s urine to pass your drug test.”Ahead of his exhibition with Roy Jones Jr in November 2020, he said of the device: “It was awesome, man, I put my baby’s urine in it.”One time I was using my wife’s and my wife was like ‘Baby you better not hope that it comes back pregnant or something’.”And I said, ‘We ain’t going to use you any more, we’re going to use the kid’, because I got scared that the p**s might come back pregnant.”Mike Tyson opened up on his use of a whizzinator to pass drug testsPress conference brawl with Lennox Lewis – 2002Tensions between Tyson and former sparring partner Lennox Lewis were well and truly high before their infamous pre-fight press conference in New York.And Tyson ignited a mass brawl seconds after the pair took to their respective podiums, punching one of Lewis’ bodyguards after he blocked him from getting to the Brit.Mike Tyson immediately confronted Lennox Lewis at their 2002 press conference in New YorkCredit: APIron Mike sparked a mass brawl by punching Lennox’s bodyguardCredit: APThe American bit Lewis’ leg during the brawl, which he received a whopping £260,000 fine forCredit: REUTERSThe pair rolled on the floor as members from both camps tried to intervene.READ MORE SUN STORIESThey were eventually separated, but not before Tyson managed to bite a chunk out of Lewis’ thigh.Tyson was slapped with a whopping £260,000 fine ($335,000) for the melee, after which he went on a foul-mouthed and homophobic tirade. More