[imagesource: AFP]

For many who missed out on seeing him at the peak of his powers, Mike Tyson is most famous for his face tattoo, and popping up now and again in movies like The Hangover.

However, in his heyday, Tyson was one of the most famous sportsmen on the planet, reigning as the undisputed world heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990.

Now 54, Tyson holds the record as the youngest boxer to win a heavyweight title, doing so at the age of just 20.

However, his excellence in the ring was matched by controversy and scandal outside it, making his life story ripe for a documentary series.

2008’s Tyson is a great starting point, and now ABC News has stepped up to the plate with Mike Tyson: The Knockout, a two-parter charting his rise, fall, and return.

Below via PEOPLE:

The four-hour series will also look at Tyson’s personal life, which has been riddled with controversy including accusations from his first wife Robin Givens that he was physically abusive.

Other points of legal trouble for Tyson included a 1992 rape conviction for which he served three years in prison, biting off a piece of Evander Holyfield’s ear during a 1997 re-match, a prison stint in 1999 for assaulting two motorists, and again — briefly — in 2007 for possession of cocaine and driving under the influence, and more…

“In addition to being an inspiring story of the perseverance and hard-won growth of one extraordinary person, Mike Tyson’s life and career are also relevant to the important collective self-reflection finally occurring in America,” said Mike Tyson: The Knockout executive producer Geoffrey Fletcher.

The trailer is not yet available on YouTube, but will play if you click the arrow below:

If you like what you see, there’s still a little while to wait.

Mike Tyson: The Knockout premieres on May 25 on ABC in the US, with the second part going out on June 1.

Each part will also be available on Hulu the day after it airs.

[source:people]