Iron Mike Tyson earned his moniker as a result of his prowess in the ring of professional boxing. It's possible that the iron refers to his iron will or his solid-iron punches. Iron Mike, on the other hand, has steel-cold nerves, as evidenced by a recent incident at a comedy club.
The incident turned out to be far from amusing. Tyson was in a Hollywood rooftop comedy club bar. A man challenged the former heavyweight champion, according to reports. The story was first reported by TMZ. According to the report, while not all of the audio could be heard, it was evident what was going on.
The man was apparently challenging Mike Tyson. He wanted to “elevate his status.” Someone thought to be the host/MC for the show attempted to intervene. This person shoved the man towards an exit, screaming, “What the f*** are you doing? Get the f*** out of here.”
The braggart evidently started to leave, telling everyone he was joking. But then the joke turned serious, really serious. The man yanked out a gun and cocked it. Virtually everyone else was diving under tables or looking for cover. But not Iron Mike Tyson. Tyson never flinched.
Eventually, the man put his gun away and started to leave. He actually gave Tyson a host of compliments as he headed for the door. But Tyson called him back. The two men hugged and made reference to where Tyson grew up. “New York! Brownsville!” The two exclaimed.
Things sort of took an odd twist as the man turned to leave. He abruptly turned around and appeared to slander Tyson, but the champ never flinched. The crowd of onlookers gave Tyson a loud ovation for his courage.
The alleged gun-waving man was never identified. Likewise, no one made a call to the LAPD. That seemed odd, as much as Mike Tyson’s unwavering courage did. Nevertheless, even staring down a gunman, Iron Mike Tyson apparently has nerves of steel.