Mike Tyson has always had a penchant for tattoos. The former heavyweight champion flaunts several tattoos on his body, with the most popular one being a tribal tattoo on the left side of his face.
But the one tattoo that has generated a lot of curiosity among fight fans about Tyson's ideological inclinations is that of Che Guevara.
Why does Mike Tyson have a Che Guevara tattoo?
Tyson is a staunch believer in communist ideology. He has a tattoo of Che Guevara, a Marxist revolutionary best known for his role in the Cuban revolution. The portrait of Guevera is printed on the left side of his ribcage.
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
Tyson was convicted of r**e in 1992. However, he was released from prison in 1995. While he was serving his six-year prison sentence, 'Iron' reportedly became fascinated with the stories of communist leaders. The 58-year-old used to read books about Guevera and other prominent communist figures, which led to him idolizing them.
When asked why he chose to get Guevera's tattoo, Tyson heaped praise on the Argentine revolutionary and referred to him as an 'incredible individual'. Tyson said:
"Che Guevara is an incredible individual. He had so much, but sacrificed it all for the benefit of other people."
What other tattoos does Mike Tyson have?
Apart from Che Guevara, Mike Tyson also has a tattoo of Chinese communist leader, Mao Zedong. The retired boxer boasts Zedong's tattoo on his right arm. In 2006, Tyson visited the memorial of Zedong, and claimed that he felt "insignificant" standing next to his preserved dead body.
Tyson has a tattoo of his ex-wife, Monica Turner, on his left forearm. The 58-year-old had married Turner in 1997, but the couple divorced each other five years later.
On his right forehand, there is a tattoo of a dragon. He also flaunts a tattoo of Arthur Ashe, the first black American to compete in the Davis Cup.
However, Tyson's most noticeable tattoo is his tribal tattoo that he got in 2003, a week before his fight against Clifford Etienne. In an interview with Graham Bensinger, Mike Tyson revealed the story of how he got the tribal tattoo. He said:
"I just thought it was a cool tattoo. I was going to get a bunch of hearts and stuff, and that would have been really stupid. I was going to be the man of hearts, baby. Victor Perez, the tattoo artist said 'I ain’t doing that. I can’t do that'. I waited around and two days later (Victor Perez) called and said 'Mike, I’ve got some tribal stuff'. I said 'woah, put another one over there'. I was like 'this is cool, I like this'. So he did it."