Boxing legend Mike Tyson is a force to be reckoned with in the ring. But once his gloves came off, he revealed that without his wife, Lakiha Spicer, he did not know how he would have survived.
Tyson skyrocketed to fame at twenty years old and made history as one of the greatest boxers. On November 22, 1986, he became the youngest boxing heavyweight champion in the world, affording him fame and success.
It was during his career that he met his wife, Spicer. After the two were introduced, they tied the knot a few years later. Tyson and Spicer's relationship has not been without its ups and downs, but Tyson shared that he was glad he and Spicer had reunited after her spell in prison.
Mike Tyson and Lakiha Spicer arrive at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards at Gibson Amphitheatre | Getty Images
Spicer and Tyson Met Long before They Started Their Relationship
Spicer, who is commonly known as Kiki, and Tyson met when she was eighteen years old. Her father used to take her to watch boxing matches with him, and during one of those matches, she met Tyson, who was twenty-nine years old at the time.
According to reports, Don King, one of Tyson's friends, introduced Spicer and Tyson. A few years later, when Spicer was twenty-three years old, in 2003, she and Tyson began dating. Spicer and Tyson tied the knot in 2009, making their marriage his third.
Former boxer Mike Tyson (L) and his wife, Lakiha "Kiki" Tyson attend the World TeamTennis Smash Hits charity tennis | Getty Images
"I'm very happy me and my wife got together, because I don't know how I would have survived out there."
Their Troubled Relationship
Spicer and Tyson's relationship had a difficult start as he was spotted multiple times in compromising situations with other women. However, matters became serious in 2008 when Spicer fell pregnant. She gave birth to their daughter Milan in December 2008.
Mike Tyson and Lakiha Spicer attend Adult Swim Upfront Party 2014 at Terminal 5 | Getty Images
The bliss of being an expecting couple did not last long as Spicer found herself on the wrong side of the law that same year and was eventually convicted of defrauding $71,000 from the company her father owned. According to reports, she had done so after claiming she had been teaching Maths courses in the Sister Clara Muhammad School.
It was then revealed that she did not teach any courses at the school. Instead, the court found her guilty of using the school as a money-laundering scheme. She was sentenced to six months in federal prison. At the time, she was already pregnant with Milan.
