The Tattoo of a Champion

Mike Tyson’s facial tattoo is one of the most recognizable tattoos of all time. While most people associate the design with Tyson, rarely do they think about what the tattoo says about him or what his motivations were for getting it. Mike Tyson is one of the greatest boxers of all time, but if one did not know that and saw him, a general knowledge of ancient cultures would lead one to draw enough conclusions about his motivations behind having his facial tattoo and what it says about him. The positioning and the design of Tyson’s tattoo serve to suggest his warrior-like mentality and his prestige.

While the tattoo only covers a small portion of his face around his left eye, it is on an ideal part of the body to be noticed because when you look at someone usually the first thing you see is their face and you always look them in the eye. The positioning of the tattoo around his eye is critical in it serving its purpose of intimidation. To someone with no knowledge of Mike Tyson, the tattoo would probably make them timid of him and even at times during boxing matches Tyson’s opponents have said to be caught of guard by the hall of fame boxer due to focusing on his tattoo.

The sharp, dark, spiraling points of his tattoo serve to draw a correlation between Tyson and warriors of the ancient cultures as well. In these cultures warriors would tattoo their whole face, not just in order to intimidate their foes but they would also tattoo their face for sacred purposes. While Tyson can be considered a warrior of the boxing ring, I’m sure his tattoo serves more to intimidate his opponents rather than serving a sacred purpose. In many other cultures people of high power in their community wear facial tattoos so Tyson’s also serves to show his prestige. Tyson’s tattoo not only tells a story about him but also introduces an ancient cultural tradition into today’s society.