Big empty house for a big empty boxer

A lot of kids raised during the 1980's idolized Mike Tyson because of the 8-bit Nintendo game Mike Tyson's Punch Out. It was a challenging and somewhat hot game-- you got to go mano-y-mano for three rounds with boxers from around the world. Then, the real-life Tyson lost the heavyweight championship, his contract with Nintendo expired, and he served prison time for rape. Later, he bit off a chunk of Evander Holyfield's right ear during a rematch. Tyson has since gone bankrupt, admitted his drug addiction, and been arrested several times.

If you're a shutterbug or a modern day Nancy Drew, this website may please you. What you are seeing is the former home of boxer Mike Tyson in Southington, Ohio. Tyson has not owned the home since the late 1990s. The home is actually owned by a business man name Paul Monea. It may or may not be in Mr. Monea's posession because he's at the center of an investigation.

Paul Monea was the guy behind the Tae Bo workout craze with the Billy Blanks video tapes. He bought Tyson's house although he already had a far nicer home and unsuccessfully tried to sell it on eBay in 2005. Around 2006, Mr. Monea accepted the offer of an undercover FBI agent offering to buy the house and with a huge diamond Mr. Monea owned using drug money&mdash it landed Mr. Monea in a heap of legal trouble and the house has been abandoned ever since&mdash its doors wide open, no power, lawn unmowed. During the photographer's first trip, the snow, wind, and a random smoke alarm spooked him into leaving.

More pictures and story after the jump...

Tyson's very protective of his bidet.

Anyway, it seems that Tyson's house exemplifies the lavish spending and bad taste that eventually bankrupted him. The house has one master bedroom with a fireplace and walk-in close, a huge bathroom with a sunken tub overlooking the back yard, double sinks, and a bidet, four additional bedrooms with attached baths, an 8-car garage, an ginourmous TV room with zebra-striped carpet, a huge pool with a large hot tub, fountains, waterfalls, and a sundae bar, a basket ball court with a Tyson logo on the surface and bleachers, cages for Mike's pet Tigers, a dining room with a faux gold ceiling, and all sorts of TVs, stereo equipment, and other cool stuff.

On the front page of USA Today on June 3, 2005, Tyson was quoted as saying: "My whole life has been a waste - I've been a failure." He continued: "I just want to escape. I'm really embarrassed with myself and my life. I want to be a missionary. I think I could do that while keeping my dignity without letting people know they chased me out of the country. I want to get this part of my life over as soon as possible. In this country nothing good is going to come of me. People put me so high; I wanted to tear that image down." The house is kind of a visual illustration of what's become of a man's legacy&mdash it makes one kinda sad.

Via Sticky.