Mike Tyson takes cabaret stage in new one-man show

PanARMENIAN.Net - Fighting legend Mike Tyson has swapped the boxing ring for the cabaret stage, in a new one-man show which pulls few punches in recounting the ups and downs of his roller-coaster life.

In a stand-up act he hopes to take to Broadway and beyond, the ex-world champion tackles head on the most controversial episodes, including his jailing for rape - he insists he was wrongly convicted - and his struggle with drugs.

Talking in sometimes frenetic bursts for almost nonstop for two hours - and showing some nifty footwork to musical numbers from a jazz-rock ensemble - he also recalls the good times when his talent brought him fortune and fame.

"Welcome to my living room," said the 45-year-old, opening the first night Friday, April 13 in an intimate 740-seater theater in the back of the MGM Grand casino complex in Las Vegas, where the show runs through until Wednesday.

The boxer filed for bankruptcy in 2003, the same year his second marriage ended. He later married his current wife in 2009, but only shortly after his 4-year-old daughter Exodus died in a tragic accident at home.

But he has revived his career in recent years, appearing in cameo in the "Hangover" films (the second set in Vegas) and in reality television shows exploring his love of training pigeons.

The Vegas show - which seems to be another part of Tyson's showbiz-themed career resurrection - is co-written by Tyson's third wife Kiki and Hollywood playwright/director Randy Johnson - who claims he could take it worldwide.