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Mike Tyson not dead, as claimed by Facebook user

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Claim: A Facebook user claimed Mike Tyson is dead.

Mike Tyson not dead, as claimed by Facebook user

Verdict: FALSE. The picture was edited, and Mr Tyson has a recent post on his page. 

Full Text

Michael Tyson, born June 30, 1966, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. Nicknamed “Iron Mike” and “Kid Dynamite” in his early career and later known as “The Baddest Man on the Planet”, Tyson is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. He reigned as the undisputed world heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990.

Transitioning from a formidable force in the ring, Mike Tyson enjoys success in other avenues. He hosts a popular podcast, “Hotboxin’ w/ Mike Tyson,” and has ventured into acting and business. While he hung up his boxing gloves in 2005, in 2020, Tyson participated in an exhibition match.

However, Honduras Radio, a public group on Facebook, posted that Mr Tyson is dead.  The group admin said that it was confirmed that the boxer died on August 14, 2023. 

The comment section had people doubting the validation of the post. Vixie Yawii wrote, “Is this even true? I doubt it.” Another user, Yolany Parenteau, advised that people should verify information before posting.

This post, which has gotten various reactions, has garnered 231 likes, 51 comments, and 21 shares since it was posted on August 14, 2023.

The sensitivity of the claim and the personalities involved prompted DUBAWA to investigate.

Verification 

We first noticed the post had a link attached, so we clicked on the link. This led to a website that posted a long history about the boxer, his achievements, and his failures without mentioning the cause of his supposed death. We found this to be a major red flag. 

We ran a reverse image search on the picture used on the post and saw the original image on The Onion, an American news source. The original image was shared with the caption “Lifelong Newport Smoker Barely Alive With Pleasure.”

We also went through Mr Tyson’s Instagram page @miketyson and saw that the boxer had posted about his latest podcast episode on August 29, 2023.  From the video, Mr Tyson appears to be healthy. 

Finally, it is expected that the demise of such a personality would attract media coverage, but no major outlet reported such.

Conclusion

Mr Tyson is not dead. The picture used to depict his demise was edited. Other investigations show activity on his account after the said date of death.

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