ABC News' Mike Tyson: The Knockout doesn't sufficiently interrogate whether the infamous boxer deserved his comeback

Salon.com

"Tyson's life story is an odd one, and his image overhaul may be one of the most curious cases of our time – although for some, it is less curious than irritating," Melanie McFarland says of ABC News' two-part documentary, premiering Tuesday. "Which side you identify with depends on which chapter of the man's history comes to mind at the mention of his name. Do you view him as one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century and fearless tiger cuddler? Or do you associate Tyson with spousal abuse and the rape of an 18-year-old pageant contestant? The Knockout favors the first view without eliding Tyson's crimes and misdemeanors which, in his case, would be impossible. Tyson's life story includes multiple stints in lockup as a youth before his 1992 conviction for the rape of Desiree Washington in Indianapolis, where she was competing as Miss Black Rhode Island in the Miss Black America pageant in July 1991. But the violence he committed before his boxing career and during it is presented via the framing of reasons as opposed to excuses. Tyson's explosive rage was the product of his being raised in a crime-ridden neighborhood and abject poverty, says everyone from reporters to trainers to actress Rosie Perez (who is at various points identified as a "boxing aficionado" and as someone who originates from Bushwick, Brooklyn, among other descriptors)." ALSO: The Knockout proves most interesting in portraying the media's role in building Tyson up and tearing him down.