Mike Tyson has recalled how his fellow inmates reacted when Tupac came to visit him behind bars in Indiana.
Tyson was sentenced to six years in prison after being convicted of rape in 1992, but was released in 1995 after serving less than three years of his sentence.
Like many prisoners, Tyson was able to keep in touch with loved ones through visits to the prison. Unlike many prisoners, though, his visitors included of some of America's biggest names.
In a recent interview with Drink Champs, Tyson described having visits from 'everybody', including 'B.B. King, James Brown, Whitney Houston… Florence Henderson'.
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"Everybody came. I can’t even name them all. Just so many people came to visit me," he continued.
At one point during his sentence, Tyson recalled getting a call from Tupac's mum, Afeni Shakur. Afeni is said to have told Tyson that she knew him through her son, who had previously met Tyson on a night out in a club.
The former boxer told Drink Champs: "She explains... that he wants to come and visit me. I said great, OK.”
Tupac and Tyson had first met six months earlier at an after-party at the Hollywood Palladium. Tyson claimed to have spotted a young man outside the venue and invited him in, but the guy wanted to bring his friends.
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"He went and came back with, like, 50 people," Tyson recalled. "Tupac was one of those guys. So we went and let them through the back, and somehow they got on the stage, took the mic, started rapping, and I met Tupac.”
Unsurprisingly the rapper caused a stir when he came to visit Tyson in prison, but it was clear he had a lot of fans.
Tyson explained: "Once he came into the visiting room – and there was all these hillbilly hicks, mean motherf**kin’ aryan guys – as soon as he came up everybody started clapping."
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He claimed the prisoners 'respected' Tupac, adding: "[As] soon as he came in the room, they started applauding.”
Tyson has denied the rape allegations that led to him spending time behind bars, though an emergency room physician who examined the alleged victim after the encounter confirmed her physical condition was consistent with rape.
The boxer was arrested in July 1991 before his sentencing the following year. He was ultimately released from prison in March 1995, but he is required to register as a Tier II sex offender under federal law for life.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact the Rape Crisis England and Wales helpline on 0808 802 9999 between 12pm–2.30pm and 7pm– 9.30pm every day. Alternatively, you can contact Victim Support free on 08 08 16 89 111 available 24/7, every day of the year, including Christmas
Topics: Mike Tyson, Celebrity, Sport
Emily Brown