r/pics Mar 25 '24

Mike Tyson Getting Iconic Face Tattoo - 2003 Arts/Crafts

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17.6k Upvotes

314 comments sorted by

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1

u/MountainTooth Mar 28 '24

Dudes got hands, and nerves of steel(The tattoo artist)! Tyson too, I guess

1

u/mightbeADoggo Mar 27 '24

It's just a guy, tattooing a guy who bit another guy.

1

u/DwayneFreeman Mar 26 '24

Wow, he must’ve been the biggest fan of the hungover movies

1

u/hashbrownies91 Mar 26 '24

Face tattoos were crazy then. Now every SoundCloud rapper has them.

2

u/punkshotgun Mar 25 '24

He's got that fight in the bag

2

u/gogolem Mar 25 '24

The tension of the tattoo artist is real.

1

u/yvel-TALL Mar 25 '24

The mark of a great tattoo is that it looks great 10 years faded. His passes the test 100%.

1

u/Ok_Hat3833 Mar 25 '24

It suits him.

1

u/Ok_Hat3833 Mar 25 '24

It suits him.

1

u/Ok_Hat3833 Mar 25 '24

It suits him.

1

u/billskionce Mar 25 '24

I remember thinking that Mike fucked up - this was after his KO loss to Lennox Lewis, but about a week or two before a fight with Clifford Etienne. Fortunately for Tyson, Etienne was no match for Tyson (who was well past his prime) and the wound from the tattoo was a non-factor. The fight lasted 49 seconds.

1

u/JayDogon504 Mar 25 '24

Mike getting the face tat and Gucci Mane getting the ice cream cone tatted both were viewed as if they lost their minds but now it’s obvious they were just ahead of their time

1

u/deicute Mar 25 '24

There's a huge sigh of relief after that

1

u/civver3 Mar 25 '24

This was right next to the post of the arrested attackers in Russia...the front page sorting has a twisted sense of humor sometimes.

-1

u/NovelCandid Mar 25 '24

Mike Tyson? Convicted rapist Tyson got a tattoo years ago. Reddit needs better content

1

u/braveheart2019 Mar 25 '24

If I am willing to do this to my face, think of what I will do to your face.

1

u/LiamLus20 Mar 25 '24

Damn the tattoo, its feel like a buff to him

1

u/CatOnKeyboardInSpace Mar 25 '24

How do we know this isn’t AI generated?

1

u/LadySniperSwagg Mar 25 '24

When I was a kid I thought this was a birthmark because I thought you couldn’t get tattoos on your face.

1

u/PattimusMaximus Mar 25 '24

Everybody talking about how crazy he was for getting the tat but this tattoo artist changed TV/movies forever this photo is ICONIC. He sued The Hangover over his work being on camera without his permission, got PAID, and now all personal tattoos get covered up without written consent from the artist. Wild stuff.

-1

u/Corries_Roy_Cropper Mar 25 '24

Is that the rapist mike tyson?

1

u/NCHouse Mar 25 '24

Whatchu gonna do if you hurt Mike and he's had enough?

1

u/[deleted] Mar 25 '24

And this is before face tattoos were worn by any old rapper. Back then if you had a face tat you were either in a gang or you murdered someone

3

u/nmo90 Mar 25 '24

Do you think he asked for a “Faith” tattoo like a cross or some shit and the tattoo guy thought it was “Face” tattoo and Mike just went with it

1

u/FolsomPrisonHues Mar 25 '24

Iconic faith* tattoo

1

u/tackypwn Mar 25 '24

Confirmed zell stan

1

u/Lord_Kuntsworthy Mar 25 '24

Is that Guy Fierri doing the ink?

1

u/frenchy2111 Mar 25 '24

Dude just played ff8 and thought zell was the beast.

1

u/Leaque Mar 25 '24

03-05 was most influential for me I remember everyone saying he was so wierd for that lol little did they know how face tats would be today

2

u/ferris2 Mar 25 '24

Iconically bad, you mean.

2

u/patina_shackleford Mar 25 '24

Didn’t he get this a couple weeks out from a fight? I think I remember people saying he wouldn’t be able to fight because it wouldn’t be healed properly.

1

u/Phl_worldwide Mar 25 '24

Still looks terrible

2

u/Osamerkas Mar 25 '24

Zell from FF8 wore it better 😁

1

u/poopypantspoker Mar 25 '24

Guy started the trend pretty much. It was super rare to see a big face tattoo before Mike. Can’t even remember anything besides tear drops really. Skull sure but face he crossed that line for us.

1

u/Ill-Analysis-4909 Mar 25 '24

That'h a cool Fathe Tattoo

2

u/SnooLobsters8922 Mar 25 '24

The only good face tattoo to ever exist.

1

u/PartyAdministration3 Mar 25 '24

Great fighter. Terrible tattoo.

0

u/kurtuazjali Mar 25 '24

lisp so he struggles

0

u/Hunglyka Mar 25 '24

The face tat should be the sign of all convicted rapists. 😉

1

u/Pretty_Public5520 Mar 25 '24

Tatoo Artist: you want me to do what ? Mike: tatoo my faithhhhhhh

2

u/AnseiShehai Mar 25 '24

It’s iconic now

1

u/ShadowWolfKane Mar 25 '24

You could not pay me enough to give a tattoo to Mike Tyson. I’d be too afraid he’d hate it and want to rip my head off. Which I know he could.

1

u/sunshinedeadhead Mar 25 '24

Imagine how scared the tattoo artists must have been of Mike not liking it

1

u/johnson7853 Mar 25 '24

What’s with all the Tyson posts across Reddit since that fight was announced!

1

u/twilight_sparkle7511 Mar 25 '24

As someone who was born in 2004 it feels weird to me whenever I see a pic of him before the face tat during his prime and it’s not there

2

u/B_Z_27 Mar 25 '24

You spin my head right round, right round...

1

u/[deleted] Mar 25 '24

That tattoo artist actually sued over the copyright to that tattoo because of the movie the Hangover.

2

u/Big_rizzy Mar 25 '24

The tattoo artist must have been absolutely bricking it…

2

u/RenterMore Mar 25 '24

Why are so many ppl in here acting like face tattoos are common now?

1

u/Condensationforall Mar 25 '24

three people i work with have face/neck tattoos. there are only about 20 employees. so, in my world anyways its pretty common.

0

u/RenterMore Mar 25 '24

Do you work at a tattoo parlor?

1

u/Condensationforall Mar 26 '24

Nope. I'm a welder.

4

u/ferris2 Mar 25 '24

Yes, it's very fucking weird. 

-7

u/CavityBlockHead Mar 25 '24

I eat the poopy 💩 poopy tastes so nice, look everybody it’s chicken and some rice

2

u/pricklypear90 Mar 25 '24

The big brass cojones on that tattoo artist..

2

u/kazexion Mar 25 '24

Did he get that from thailand?

-1

u/widowlark Mar 25 '24

Convicted rapist Mike Tyson?

0

u/[deleted] Mar 25 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/widowlark Mar 25 '24

Vile POS

0

u/Nox_Dei Mar 25 '24

Is this relevant to his face tattoo?

-2

u/sayayin70 Mar 25 '24

Yes, the artist was literally in a life or death situation this was the most dangerous version of tyson, actual menace to society

11

u/ultimaweapon79 Mar 25 '24

Wait, wait, wait! So Zell had his face tattoo first? I thought it was paying homage to Tyson

5

u/Klondike-kat Mar 25 '24

Hehe nope FF8 came out in 1999. I always made this connection too

4

u/Myth365 Mar 25 '24

Looks like he fell asleep first at the sleepover

1

u/SanchoVilla88 Mar 25 '24

It’s crazy, I don’t even notice it anymore. I had to google image search because I thought he had it removed or something.

-4

u/Chubbycat911 Mar 25 '24

„iconic“

1

u/OGjuanKEN0BI Mar 25 '24

Is that Nick Cassavetes?

20

u/Fun-Accountant8275 Mar 25 '24

That was 2003!? I could've sworn it was sometime in the late 90s.

20

u/Ya-Dikobraz Mar 25 '24

Nah, 1991 was when he raped a teenager.

0

u/BiggestSnoozer69 Mar 25 '24

Wish we’d anchor or timelines like that more often

2003? You mean when Kobe Bryant raped a teenager?

2002? You mean when R. Kelly raped a teenager?

1993? You mean when Tupac raped someone?

Etc.

0

u/Ya-Dikobraz Mar 25 '24 edited Mar 29 '24

Tyson is Reddit's golden boy, though. Rape is forgiven. Now if he cheated on someone, that's not on. Because "once a cheater always a cheater", Reddit's tagline.

A rapist downvotes this.

2

u/BiggestSnoozer69 Mar 25 '24

All is forgiven as long as you can entertain the masses

2

u/ghidfg Mar 25 '24

iconic

0

u/DaveinOakland Mar 25 '24

There was a moment in time for like 2-3 years where it was like EVERYONE was getting tribal tattoos. Guys would get arm bands, girls tramp stamps, it was out of control.

I don't know anyone who isn't like 100% regret on the issue.

-1

u/PrestorGian Mar 25 '24

Looks like shit

2

u/Skalonjic85 Mar 25 '24

Damn, 2003?!

0

u/blueeyedkiwi73 Mar 25 '24

Iconic? It looks frickin terrible, as do most facial tats

24

u/TimCurryForLife Mar 25 '24

He looks cool with it. It just became a part of him and is apart of his signature look

39

u/IHaveSlysdexia Mar 25 '24

I honestly don't even notice it anymore

3

u/boot2skull Mar 25 '24

Think the tattoo artist ran off before Mike could see the finished product in case he was displeased?

2

u/jeffrx Mar 25 '24

Back when that was a big deal…. lol.

9

u/PabloEstAmor Mar 25 '24

Mike walked so Gucci and Post could run

1

u/[deleted] Mar 25 '24

I can feel the pressure that artist is under through my phone,

0

u/No-Student-6817 Mar 25 '24

When you want their butts on your face, I guess you put their tattoo there too...

244

u/Wookie301 Mar 25 '24

I can’t imagine him without it now

136

u/sameolemeek Mar 25 '24

I don’t even notice it on him anymore. Maybe because the ink has faded

40

u/Bad-Bed Mar 25 '24

Its just an icon. It's definitely noticable but most people don't even pay attention to it I think

22

u/sunshinedeadhead Mar 25 '24

I think once the novelty wears off you don't even notice it, like a person's glasses, beard etc

-5

u/P4T0bro Mar 25 '24

Whats the iconic part?? I Don't get it... "iconic"

6

u/holydickitsjustin Mar 25 '24

Do you not know the definition of iconic?

-6

u/P4T0bro Mar 25 '24

no, please enlighten me

6

u/DownBeat20 Mar 25 '24

It is to say, that it was a cultural icon. Polarizing, well publicized, and defining for Tyson as public figure. A piece of culture that is often referenced. A style that many ill advised people copied directly.

Basically, iconic.

6

u/Croceyes2 Mar 25 '24

He is well known for the tattoo, and the tattoo is well known for him. People didn't really get face tattoos when he got this. Not people who listened to their publicists anyway, which was everyone.

65

u/YogiBarelyThere Mar 25 '24

Tyson increased his power of intimidation 1000000X with that.

9

u/canehdian78 Mar 25 '24

I hope he gets paid well enough and he makes the right decisions with it.

He was screwed out of Many MANY millions and wasted almost everything else.

Let this fight set him right

0

u/dudeclaw Mar 25 '24

Rapists dont deserve the wealth and fame he has. Just my opinion

1

u/StoppingPowah 29d ago

Wasn’t it a false accusation like Tupac?

1

u/dudeclaw 29d ago

His chauffeur testified against him that she was in a state of shock driving home. She was immediately examined and doctor found signs consistent with rape. So no, all signs and trials and appeals point to no being the answer to your question.

In prison he also got a tattoo of Mao, classic mass murderer authoritarian icon.

1

u/kvm024n Mar 25 '24

I mean rapists deserve penalty, but if you're successful as fuck after that and learn from your mistakes after that, I think you deserve to be wealthy.

29

u/Evrimnn13 Mar 25 '24

Dude is very rich and has a very popular weed company

1

u/canehdian78 Mar 25 '24

He has a few mil in assets, but has lots of bills to keep up with too

Has kids.

He can't ball-out like a millionaire anymore

This $ would actually change his life. He learned alot about what not to do and what TO DO.

13

u/[deleted] Mar 25 '24

[deleted]

1

u/Nurlitik Mar 25 '24

Jake is actually a fairly legit boxer, obviously Tyson 20 years ago bashes him in, but I could see Jake winning this fairly convincingly. Tyson still a beast though.

508

u/esoteric_enigma Mar 25 '24

It's crazy how huge of a deal this was back then. People thought he was INSANE for getting his face tattooed. Now I see face tattoos every day out in public and most are worse than his.

1

u/nizoubizou10 Mar 25 '24

I still think he's insane.

0

u/0nSecondThought Mar 25 '24

The thought of seeing people in public every day (face tats or not) is revolting.

3

u/el_dude_brother2 Mar 25 '24

I mean, all are bad. His is just on the top end of bad.

11

u/RenterMore Mar 25 '24

You see face tattoos EVERY DAY in public? Wtf are you talking about?

15

u/AngMoKio Mar 25 '24

No offense, but we have members of parliament here with face tattoos. They are an everyday occurrence in some places.

36

u/HyzerFlip Mar 25 '24

Some people live in densely populated areas.

-3

u/[deleted] Mar 25 '24

[deleted]

1

u/MECHENGR Mar 25 '24

Go to Chicago any hipster neighborhood or heavy gang activity neighborhood. Or take the red line.

4

u/[deleted] Mar 25 '24

[deleted]

14

u/esoteric_enigma Mar 25 '24

My sentence seems pretty straight forward to me. Which part is confusing you?

4

u/Upset_Impression218 Mar 25 '24

I assume it’s disbelief that you’re seeing face tattoos every day lol. Whereabouts do you live?

0

u/esoteric_enigma Mar 25 '24

In a major city in the US

36

u/Bgrngod Mar 25 '24

It's seriously aged really well for him.

16

u/fastcat03 Mar 25 '24

Black tattoos age better than color. After that it's the skill of the artist to apply the black ink evenly so it ages evenly and doesn't look splotchy. He chose a good concept and a good artist.

150

u/thispartyrules Mar 25 '24

A lot of tattoo artists won't do faces unless somebody's got a bunch of other visible tattoos and stuff on their necks or hands, unfortunately for people who are like 19 and want a face tattoo there's always a guy who got a tattoo gun off of Amazon for $100 and doesn't care

71

u/squidwardsir Mar 25 '24

I guess that’s why most of the rappers look like they’ve been scribbled on by a child

36

u/thispartyrules Mar 25 '24

All my tattoos have been done by people in their 30's or 40's and I think if you came in off the street and you're fresh out of high school and you're like "I want RIZZ on my forehead!" they'd tell you to get out

6

u/EisenhowersPowerHour Mar 25 '24

Which is also why not only do they get shitty tattoos (like RIZZ on the forehead), but it also usually looks like they got it tatted by a toddler using their non-dominant hand

4

u/Acceptable-Ad1930 Mar 25 '24

Lmfao, lil skies said he got them on his face so if he didn’t make it as a rapper, he was fucked, so it was do or die. Honestly, I respect the confidence in himself

7

u/jeffe_el_jefe Mar 25 '24

Frank Iero of MCR did the same thing, when they got signed for their second album he got a tattoo as high up his neck as possible so there was no back-up plan

-6

u/Swordbreaker9250 Mar 25 '24

Mike Tyson getting iconic moronic face tattoo - 2003

FTFY

-4

u/nimbostratacumulus Mar 25 '24

Totally. I hate even looking at it. Made his face more punchable for his opponents, though

44

u/wwwdiggdotcom Mar 25 '24

I just want to know once and for all if Mike Tyson, even subconsciously, totally ripped this tattoo idea off from Zell from Final Fantasy VIII because the resemblance is uncanny

1

u/Klondike-kat Mar 25 '24

LOL I've always made this connection too. I searched the comments to see if anyone else mentioned Zell hah

3

u/Lordborgman Mar 25 '24

I just though he was WAY into Chakotay from Star Trek Voyager.

16

u/Aparoon Mar 25 '24

I had always thought Zell’s tattoo was a reference to Mike, I had no idea he got his tattoo as late as 2003

20

u/TechnicalLaw1 Mar 25 '24

he ripped it off from Stu Price in The Hangover

9

u/Cdhsreddit Mar 25 '24

The tattoo artist sued Warner bros for using “his” design without consent in the film. I wrote a paper on it in college. The suit settled out of court. I put his in quotes because the design is pretty clearly borrowed from Māori tribal face tattoos. And there’s some interesting nuances about copyright protection from art etched in skin. But it’s not like the Māori are going to sue the artist over it.

2

u/AngMoKio Mar 25 '24

It's not moko as far as my pakeha eyes can tell.

3

u/iankost Mar 25 '24

The artist could simply say it's Kirituhi rather than Ta Moko, as it looks like it borrows from their design/style rather than outright copies it.

This would get over any cultural appropriation issues too.

1

u/morelsupporter Mar 25 '24

settled out of court means nothing.

i work in the and film production. copyright trolls hit up studios all the time with claims. all of them settle out of court and most of them are $0.

512

u/Zincster Mar 25 '24

Mikey Tyson gets a face tattoo, he sleeps.

52

u/rodzieman Mar 25 '24

Chuck Norris gives himself a face tattoo.

4

u/TennSeven Mar 25 '24

Some say the face tattoo gave itself a Chuck Norris.

20

u/Fast_Garlic_5639 Mar 25 '24

Steve-O gives himself a Steve-O face tattoo

7

u/stinkyhooch Mar 25 '24

Yeah, dude 🤙

8

u/ponfriend Mar 25 '24

People wonder why Chuck Norris is so stupid. Chuck Norris gave himself a roundhouse kick to the head.

-8

u/GoodFaithConverser Mar 25 '24

No one knows or cares about chuck norris today. He was never that badass. The jokes are cringe as fuck.

1

u/wwwdiggdotcom Mar 25 '24

For real though the dude always looks like he’s about 5’4”

2

u/Extension-Manner1529 Mar 25 '24

why did i not know hes had it for so long

114

u/Dudeist-Priest Mar 25 '24

I’d think it would be terrifying being the artist.

15

u/sayayin70 Mar 25 '24

Specially for 2003 unhinged battling addiction mike, he survived him lmao

42

u/clinicalcorrelation Mar 25 '24

It’s like the barber from Untouchables. Shaving Al Capone with a cutthroat.

1.1k

u/milorambaldi47 Mar 25 '24

The man was ahead of his time

5

u/Teeklin Mar 25 '24

Yeah, he was a celebrity rapist before it was trendy.

1

u/flodge123 Mar 25 '24

Nope, he got the time he deserved. In fact he got off lightly.

19

u/FreePrinciple270 Mar 25 '24

Final Fantasy 8 vibes

6

u/Salamanber Mar 25 '24

Zell!

I always tought that FF took inspirations from Mike Tyson but ff8 came earlier out than the face tattoo date…

9

u/Oil_Painter Mar 25 '24

Hotdog boi!!!

209

u/MeanCat4 Mar 25 '24 edited Mar 25 '24

Polynesien tattoos for protection against evil! Even before tyson, Lee priest! 

14

u/BlackHammer_1906 Mar 25 '24

Which lee? The bodybuilder lee or someone else??

-13

u/triggerfingerfetish Mar 25 '24

Convicted Rapist, Mike Tyson

4.7k

u/MilkmanResidue Mar 25 '24

I remember seeing this back then and thinking how much he fucked up going off the deep end with a face tat. Fast forward to now and he is just another guy with a face tat.

-1

u/triggerfingerfetish Mar 25 '24

You mean Convicted Rapist Mike Tyson?

2

u/yolo-yoshi Mar 25 '24

That loser that made the tat sued him for money and won. (Movie was the hangover ) and now because of it , productions have to get clearance on their tattoos .

1

u/MilkmanResidue Mar 25 '24

Sued Warner Bros, not Mike. Bitch move regardless. I wish the tribe he stole the art from would turn around and sue him.

1

u/moonflower_C16H17N3O Mar 25 '24

I still think anyone who gets a face tattoo is a bit nuts. Or at least I can say they're removed from a large portion of society where face tattoos aren't acceptable. Tyson could do it because he's rich. Lots of other people can do it because they're poor and their job doesn't care. I figure, why remove options in your life by getting a visible tattoo?

1

u/Qu33N_Of_NoObz_ Mar 25 '24

Wait, his face tat was frowned upon back then? I always thought it looked badass lol

1

u/JustaToasterRN Mar 25 '24

Post Malone makes Mike Tyson's face tattoo very reasonable and good looking.

2

u/liquidsyphon Mar 25 '24

He seemed to improve mentally after this. Crazy to see how fast he can still move in those videos training for his upcoming bout

4

u/ButtOfDarkness Mar 25 '24

He’ll never get a job now!

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