Mike Fleming

Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson has made a deal with Blue Rider Press for North American rights to Undisputed Truth, described as a no-holds-barred tell-all memoir that chronicles Tyson’s journey from tumultuous past to tranquil present. The book will be published next summer and Blue Rider Press president and publisher David Rosenthal acquired the rights from David Vigliano and Anthony Mattero at Vigliano Associates. This guy has been through it all, winning the championship with devastating knockout power, making millions, and then suffering an unbelievable fall from grace. He lost his belt to Buster Douglas, the first time he was knocked out. Then he bit the ears off Evander Holyfield in the ring and was disqualified. There was a rape conviction and drug addiction, symbolizing a rage he was simply unable to control. He has finally pulled himself together, it seems. He headlined a well received one man Broadway show directed by Spike Lee, and turned in a memorable supporting turn in The Hangover. I’m sure he’s got more than enough stories to fill a book. Larry “Ratso” Sloman, best known as Howard Stern’s collaborator on Private Parts and Miss America, and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Anthony Kiedis’s memoir Scar Tissue, will collaborate with Tyson.