He wasn’t bored. He wasn’t trying to be different. Mike Tyson once admitted that the unique tattoo that covers the left side of his face happened because he hated himself so much. The former heavyweight champion of the world has been on an emotional rollercoaster throughout his life. He decided to ink up his face during one of the lower points in his life.

From 1992 to 1995, while in prison for the rape of Desiree Washington, Tyson read a large number of books, including works by Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong. Spike Lee sent Tyson a copy of tennis player Arthur Ashe's deathbed memoir, Days of Grace. Tyson was moved by the book and respected Ashe's ability to be nonconfrontational and admired his political views and his success as a black athlete in a white-dominated world. Tyson got prison tattoos of both men on his biceps: A portrait of Mao, captioned with "Mao" in all-caps, on the left; a portrait of Ashe beneath the words "Days of Grace" on the right. Gerald Early views the Mao and Ashe tattoos as together "symboliz both newfound self-control and his revision of black cool", with Mao representing strength and authority. Clifton Brown in The New York Times describes the Ashe tattoo as "a contradiction" with Tyson's "fits of rage". Early and biographer Richard Hoffer cast the two bicep tattoos as an unusual combination of, in Hoffer's words, "alternate icons".

The Mike Tyson tattoo has been the subject of fascination for media and commentators who have offered various interpretations and analyses of its meaning. Tyson’s tattoo has been featured in countless articles, interviews and discussions.

In 2014, though, Tyson finally fessed up about the real reason for his tattoo. As Sportcasting recounts, Tyson said of his dark period, "I just hated myself... I literally wanted to deface myself." Capricious though it was, the tattoo was also his first step toward making positive choices.

It’s a pretty basic tattoo and while you can see the resemblance to Turner, it’s not exactly a work of art. It also helps that the tattoo is on the inside of Tyson’s forearm so it’s not the most visible, meaning he doesn’t have to worry about people seeing it all the time.

However, his career was marred by scandals, including imprisonment and rape accusations, which took a significant toll on his public persona. Despite these difficulties, Tyson managed to rebuild his reputation, becoming a successful businessman, actor, and popular media figure. His charisma, outspokenness and transformational ability continue to inspire fans around the world, making him a truly iconic figure.

logan paul tyson tattoo has often expressed his respect for Tyson, citing him as one of his boxing idols. By getting a face tattoo similar to Tyson’s, Paul aims to honor the former heavyweight champion and further solidify his own identity as a serious conten the doctor's office this morning. Getting this tattoo removed from my face. This is going to be painful," he reportedly wrote at the time.

On the left side of Tyson’s torso is a tattoo of another communist leader, this one being the great Che Guevara. The tattoo is a copy of the famous Guerrillero Heroico photograph taken by Alberto Korda on March 5, 1960. It’s quite a large tattoo that takes up a lot of space on the left side of Tyson’s body.