Mike Tyson

Collection of never before seen photographs showing a very little known side of Mike Tyson at his prime and peaking the 1980's and 1990's, in and out of the ring, sometimes with epic legends.

It all began with an art school photography assignment: Lori Grinker was shooting a project on young boxers under the guidance of the legendary trainer Cus D'Amato. Her main focus became a nine-year-old boxer Billy Hamm. While photographing him, Cus wandered over and asked why Lori was shooting that kid, when the bigger kid in the corner working a speed bag would one day be the heavyweight champion of the world! The kid was a then 13-year-old Mike Tyson.

Lori's early boxing photographs of Mike Tyson are without peer--little exists from that era and all of Grinker's work is personal with uniquely privileged access in and out of the ring.

Over the next decade Lori would photograph the coterie that surrounded Mike; Cus's funeral, going home to Brownsville, old friends, trips abroad, in hotel suites before and after fights, his hook-up with Robin Givens, their wedding, their divorce, and the training and fights in between until Tyson's first defeat--the Buster Douglas fight in 1991. This is a side of the Mike Tyson story rarely seen or shared.

Lori Grinker, is an award-winning documentary photographer and author. Internationally published and exhibited, her work has garnered many awards, including a New York Foundation for the Arts Grant and a Hasselblad Foundation Grant. She has published two books: The Invisible Thread: A Portrait of Jewish American Women, and Afterwar: Veterans from a World in Conflict. A lecturer at Yale since 2010, she also teaches at NYU Graduate school of Journalism, and is on the faculty of the International Center of Photography (ICP). Her photographs are held in the collections of ICP, New York; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Israel Museum, Jerusalem; and San Francisco MoMA (among others). She is represented by Nailya Alexander Gallery in New York, and has been a member of Contact Press Images since 1988. Mike Tyson is the former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world; in 2001 he was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame. His recent autobiography, Undisputed Truth, was a New York Times bestseller and he also appeared in a one-man Broadway show directed by Spike Lee. Tyson has launched a clothing company, Mike Tyson Collection, and a production company, Tyrannic Productions. He lives in Las Vegas with his wife, Kiki, and their children.

Over the last thirty years, Bruce Silverglade has been busy keeping one of boxing's grandest traditions alive. He is the driving force behind Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn, a boxing treasure since 1937. One of the last of New York City's thriving boxing gyms, Gleason's has been the training headquarters for such legends as Jake LaMotta, Muhammad Ali and Roberto Duran. In all 131 World Champions have trained inside the gym's hallowed walls. Currently five active title holders workout at Gleason's as well as numerous contenders and dozens of Golden Gloves champions. And yes, women train at Gleason's too.

The Silverglade name has been associated with boxing for over 65 years. Bruce's father Edward, was one of the founders of the National PAL. He also worked for the National Olympic Committee and was the team manager for the US Olympic teams of 1980 and 1984.

In 1976, Bruce found himself in the middle of a divorce and sought refuge in boxing. While one marriage ended, another one was just beginning. Silverglade caught the boxing bug and quit his job of 16 years with Sears Roebuck and Company. He began refereeing and judging amateur bouts but because he liked "all" fighters he learned quickly that he could not be an impartial official. That's when he turned to the administrative side of the sport.

From 1980 to 1985, Silverglade held some of the most prominent positions in amateur boxing. He was the president of the Metropolitan Amateur Boxing Federation, a chairman of the National Junior Olympic Committee and a member of the National Selection Committee. 

By the early 1980's, Silverglade began devoting his efforts full-time to Gleason's. In 1987, he started running live boxing cards at Gleason's Arena, which was located one block away from the gym. That lasted until 1990, but Silverglade remained involved in the business side of boxing as a matchmaker and booking agent. 

He helped to promote the first world title fight in Russia as IBF cruiserweight champion Al Cole defended his title against Glen McCrory. He has also made fights for some of the game's top attractions: Arturo Gatti, Paulie Malignaggi, Yuri Foreman, Mark Breland and Zab Judah. 

Bruce was inducted into the New York State Hall of Fame in 2015.

Silverglade lives in New York City. He graduated Gettysburg College in 1968 with a degree in economics. He also holds a master's degree in the Sweet Science.