Mike Tyson is 'homophobic' and a 'manipulative bully', says former promoter

Mike Tyson, a self-proclaimed hater of bullies, has been labelled a "misogynist" and a manipulative bully by his former fight promoter Frank Warren. The Englishman was speaking following the release of a new scripted series on the former heavyweight champion titled "Mike" on American streaming service Hulu.

The 56-year-old boxer disowned the new series after claiming that it was made without his consent. Tyson slammed executives at the Disney owned streaming service, stating: "To Hulu executives I'm just a n****r they can sell on the auction block."

Tyson's career in the ring and outside it has brought out a myriad of contrasting opinions of the former world heavyweight champion. When asked about the American, a number of interviewees used words like emotional, perceptive, intelligent and smart, but Warren was scathing as he labelled him "homophobic," and a bully.

"He is a terrible manipulative bully. Every fighter that's beaten him, he couldn't intimidate. Every one who he's beaten, he could intimidate. If he can't intimidate you, that's a killer for him," Warren told The Guardian.

"He is a compelling character, and he's one of those fellas who gets you to feel that he's misunderstood but, when you get into it, he is what he is, which is a thug and a bully and a misogynist. He's very homophobic when he's cursing somebody or he's shouting at them," the English fight promoter added.

Warren was full of praise for Tyson's abilities inside the ring, calling him menacing and devastating. The Englishman, however, feels the American "pissed" his life away and made it clear that despite Tyson portraying himself as being misunderstood, he was simply manipulating people to get his way.

"He didn't live the life he should have led. You could sit with him right now and you'd think this guy's totally been misunderstood, he's a good bloke. I'm telling you, he's very manipulative," Warren said.

Tyson released an autobiography is 2013, while also hosting a one-man show in Las Vegas in 2012. The boxing legend, who now runs a cannabis company and owns a 420-acre "weed resort" near Desert Hot Springs, has owned up to his past mistakes.