Why was Mike Tyson in jail? Everything you need to know about 'Iron's' time behind bars

Mike Tyson has dealt with a fair share of troubles in his life. The boxing legend became one of the most controversial figures in the 1990s due to his actions outside the boxing ring. He has had several run-ins with the law in his troubled times. But most notable among those was an infamous r**e case that cost 'Iron Mike' four valuable years of his absolute prime due to a prison sentence.

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Why was Mike Tyson in jail?

Mike Tyson, then 25 years old, was arrested in July 1991 on the charge of r**ing an 18-year-old beauty pageant contestant in an Indianapolis hotel. He was in town to attend the Miss America pageant and was introduced to the victim while attending the rehearsals for the show. The incident took place shortly after in Tyson’s hotel room.

Mike Tyson’s chauffeur and emergency room doctors confirmed that Washington’s state of mind and physical condition after the incident pointed to r***. However, the former world champion maintained that it was a consensual encounter.

The trial took place at the Marion County superior court from January 26 to February 10, 1992, and Mike Tyson was convicted on charges of r***. He challenged the conviction in the Indiana Court of Appeals but the decision was upheld. A similar judgment was given by the Indiana Supreme Court which stood by the decision and upheld the conviction once again.

On March 26, 1992, Mike Tyson was sentenced to six years in prison with four years of probation. He was sent to the Indiana Youth Center but released in March 1995, serving less than three years in the facility.

The boxing icon has been criticized for several controversial actions and public statements. He has been apologetic about many of those instances which were borne out of youthful aggression. However, the 58-year-old still claims that it was indeed a consensual encounter and not a r*** in 1991.

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Mike Tyson’s side of the Indianapolis incident

During their appeal in the upper court urging error of law in the 1992 trial, Tyson’s lawyers challenged the exclusion of three defense witnesses and the victim’s history of sexual conduct. However, that did not help and the boxer ended up in prison nevertheless. However, speaking out before the sentence was handed over to him, Mike Tyson claimed:

“I have not r**ed anyone, tried to r*** anyone by any means. I’m sorry for [the victim] as a person. I by no means meant to hurt her or do anything to her. I’m sure she knows that.”

He maintains a similar stance three decades after the infamous trial and even wrote about it in his autobiography Undisputed Truth: My Biography:

“She knows it, God knows it, and the consequences of her action are something that she’s got to live with for the rest of her life.”

Mike Tyson returned to competition following his release from prison and produced some memorable performances. However, he lost the most consequential fights of his later career to fellow boxing legends Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis.

Tyson returned to competition after nearly 15 years when he fought fellow boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. in November 2020. He will grace the boxing ring again as he faces Jake Paul on Nov. 15.