How Mike Tyson Became a Social Media Heavyweight

 

Whatever nickname you know him by, you’re probably familiar with the ex-heavyweight champion boxer and current celebrity entertainer Mike Tyson. But did you know he’s also made himself into a hit on social media? Tyson has gathered some 4 million combined followers on Twitter and Facebook, and his YouTube channel has amassed nearly 23 million views. He posts photos to Instagram, too, and is one of a growing number of athletes to embrace social games as the next frontier in personal brand-building and marketing. Recently, the 45-year-old Tyson functioned as WWE WrestleMania‘s “social media ambassador,” helping make the event a massive success that generated more than 100 worldwide trending topics on Twitter over a five-hour period. He’s also using social media to promote his one-man retrospective show, Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth—Live on Stage, which begins this weekend at the MGM Grand Casino & Hotel in Las Vegas. Tyson was able to carve some time out of his preparation schedule this week to trade emails with Mashable. Read on to see how he got hooked on social media, whether he wishes Twitter and Facebook were around during his fighting heyday, and what might be next for Iron Mike in the digital space.