Kazakhstani producer Maira Karsakbayeva shared a funny and heartwarming story about actor and former professional boxer Mike Tyson’s visit to Astana. Kursiv LifeStyle explains why the star had to stop a police convoy during his journey.
In 2010, the legendary athlete was invited to the Astana Action Film Festival. At the time, Tyson’s participation was organized in cooperation with a Hollywood producer, while the invitation was initiated by Timur Bekmambetov, the director of the event. Karsakbayeva negotiated through Tyson’s wife, Kiki, with whom she remains in touch.
Upon arrival, Tyson went to dinner with his family at a restaurant, where he was offered kumys — fermented mare’s milk. Believing that the drink is «beneficial for men,» the boxer drank nearly a liter, despite being warned that it would be better to get used to kumys gradually. The result was not long in coming.
After dinner, a 20-car convoy escorted by police headed to Borovoe.
«About an hour into the trip, Tyson called me and said he urgently needed to use the restroom — it seemed he had an upset stomach. I asked him to hold on, while thinking to myself how difficult that would be: we still had two hours to go, there was nothing but steppe around us, no restrooms anywhere, and we were moving in a tightly controlled police convoy. Fifteen minutes later, he called again saying he could no longer hold it. I contacted the lead car to urgently find a solution. Fortunately, we spotted an old village outdoor toilet ahead. We stopped the entire convoy, and Tyson was able to use it,» Karsakbayeva wrote.
The participants joked that a plaque reading «Mike Tyson was here» should have been installed.
The athlete’s wife, who was expecting, also needed a restroom but valiantly made it to Borovoe. Nevertheless, Tyson’s family returned to Astana by private helicopter.
As Karsakbayeva recalls, during the visit Tyson also chaired the jury of a boxing tournament organized by businessman Timur Kulibayev.
«June 30 was also Tyson’s birthday, and he was gifted $100,000. He asked me to arrange a visit to a children’s home for children with autism. We went there, and he played with the kids like a child himself,» Karsakbayeva shared.
The athlete donated $50,000 to the children’s home. He also visited a mosque at his request.
«Mike Tyson is a very simple, warm and humane person,» the producer summarized.
