Why does Mike Tyson have a tattoo of Mao Zedong on his arm?

Mike Tyson treated himself to a tattoo of Chinese communist revolutionary Mao Zedong when he was in prison. While the legendary boxer hasn't been clear about his belief in Mao's communist ideology, he did seem fascinated by his rebellious tendencies.

Tyson was sentenced to imprisonment in 1992 after being convicted of rape. During his time in prison, the former heavyweight champion started reading the books of prominent communist leaders like Mao and Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara.

He began idolizing them and even inked their faces on his body. Tyson tattooed Guevera on the left side of his ribcage and Mao on his right arm.

The 55-year-old also has a tattoo of late tennis player Arthur Ashe and the title of his autobiography, 'Days of Grace'. In one episode of Hotboxin with Mike Tyson, the former boxer explained why he got the tattoos of Ashe and Mao.

"I'm just very fascinated with both of them. I thought they were awesome individuals. It was almost like a hypnotic effect they had on me when I was in prison on how to better myself and strengthen myself for revenge [against] myself, the society that put me [in prison]. But it was really a blessing in disguise because I started to learn who I could really be. Not who I wanted to be but who I could be at that particular stage of my life. I learned that we all are going to make mistakes in life, but when we make those mistakes, we allow those mistakes to become blue prints to a bigger part of our success in life and civilization."

Watch the clip below:

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Mike Tyson visited the memorial of Mao Zedong in 2006

In 2006, Mike Tyson visited the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall to pay his respects to the deceased revolutionist. According to the Beijing Times newspaper, Tyson said he felt "insignificant" standing next to Mao's remains.

"Standing in front of Chairman Mao's remains, I felt really insignificant. To have the chance to visit the memorial hall is a great honor for me." [h/t ESPN]

He reportedly brought three of Mao's books to the hall and screamed "I love you" to the Chinese crowd while leaving.