ABC will air a new series about Mike Tyson’s exceptional life in the coming weeks. The documentary, titled Mike Tyson: The Knockout, is a four-hour watch that “puts viewers ringside for a main event that will chronicle the former champion’s rise, fall, and comeback, from his tumultuous upbringing to becoming undisputed world champion to his 1992 rape conviction and his personal struggles,” according to ABC.
Mike Tyson: The Knockout documentary will debut on ABC on back-to-back Tuesdays, May 25 and June 1, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET. The same thing can be watched on Hulu the next day on demand.
As of now, Netflix does not have streaming rights to the documentary.
Interviews will be conducted with many influential members of Mike Tyson’s professional and personal circle, including actor and boxing enthusiast Rosie Perez, former HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg, and ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap.
Tyson blasts Hulu for airing “unauthorised miniseries”
Although ABC will air Mike Tyson: The Knockout, Hulu will air an eight-episode miniseries titled Iron Mike.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hulu announced in February that it was collaborating with the team behind I, Tonya – screenwriter Steven Rogers, director Craig Gillespie, and actress-producer Margot Robbie – to “explore the wild, tragic, and divisive life and career behind one of the most polarising figures in sports culture.”
Tyson, on the other hand, was not associated with the film, and in a statement to the same network, ‘Iron’ Mike blasted the Disney-backed streaming giant for making a “unauthorised miniseries” about his life.
“Hulu’s announcement to do an unauthorised miniseries of my life, although unfortunate, isn’t surprising. This announcement on the heels of social disparities in our country is a prime example of how Hulu’s corporate greed led to this tone-deaf cultural misappropriation of my life story.
“To make this announcement during Black History Month only confirms Hulu’s concern for dollars over respect for Black story rights. Hollywood needs to be more sensitive to Black experiences especially after all that has transpired in 2020. My authorised story is in development and will be announced in coming days,” Tyson said.
Craig Erwich, the president of ABC Entertainment and Hulu Originals following the company’s December shake-up, recently told Deadline that Iron Mike was still in the works because “biographical pictures are a fan-favorite and a staple of the movie and television industry.”
Walt Disney Company owns both ABC and Hulu.
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