New book captures Mike Tyson in photos

NEW YORK - Soft-spoken but tough, laid back but powerful, Mike Tyson is one of the greatest boxing champs of all time yet despite his notoriety, he remains elusive to many.

But photographer Lori Grinker isn't one of them.  She met Tyson when he was just 14 years old and remembers a young Mike being sweet and funny. Her photos  of him started out being part of a college project at the Parsons School of Design. They wound up being iconic. 

Grinker's new book, "Mike Tyson" features never before seen photographs from the 1980s and '90s. They reveal an intimate side of Tyson when the enigmatic fighter was in his prime.

Grinker spent a lot of time in the Catskills at the home of Mike's trainer and mentor, Cus D'Amato. She watched Mike study old fight tapes to get prepared for his matches, watched him train, and she documented his love of pigeons.

Back in 1990, our FOX 5 cameras captured Mike tending to his birds in Brooklyn. Lori's camera captured him with his pigeons upstate New York. His quiet time was in sharp contrast to his fury in the ring.

Lori says she quickly realized that in boxing, getting a great shot depends on luck and where you are at the ring. One of her favorite photos is one taken during one of his early matches in Latham, New York that lasted a mere 32 seconds.

Although the book is mainly photographs, it does contain a few of Mike's famous quotes, like "everyone has a plan till they get punched in the mouth."

Another memorable photo reveals a happy Mike shot after he snagged his first Heavyweight title in Las Vegas. 

Grinker has documented both legendary fights and troubling times for Tyson and through his ups and downs, Lori says Mike was always determined to win, in and out of the ring. 

The book launch for "Mike Tyson" will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 15 at Gleason's Gym, located at 130 Water Street in Dumbo. 

The book's photographs will also be on display at the Clamp Art Gallery, 

"Mike Tyson" Book Photographs on Display at Clamp Art Gallery, located at 247 West 29th Street in Chelsea from November 3 to December 23.