When Mike Tyson spent $2.2 million to buy a 24 karat gold bathtub
Mike Tyson has been known for his flamboyant lifestyle and extravagant spendings. However, few of his whimsical expenditures can beat the whooping $2.2 million dollars he once spent on a bathtub. Mike Tyson had reportedly bought the 24 carat gold bathtub tub as a Christmas gift for his first wife, Robin Givens. The duo divorced a year later and Tyson eventually sold off the bathtub.
Worth $400 million at a point in his career, Mike Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion ever at 20 years of age. In his heyday, most of his accessories would reflect his luxurious lifestyle. Apart from a $245,000 18-karat gold dial and a gold chain worth $173,706, Mike Tyson also had a gold tooth which was headbutted by his pet tiger, Kenya.
However, Mike Tyson wasn't as smooth with his finances as he was in the ring and his irresponsible spending soon took a toll. Tyson filed for bankruptcy in 2003, falling into a debt of $23 million dollars. However Tyson apparently didn't mind a humbler lifestyle. 'The Baddest Man on the Planet' told Washington Post in an interview:
Being without money for three years, I don't know what I'll do if I get it again. I'm not even interested in being that person again. I don't want to be that flashy guy with the flashy houses.
Who bought Mike Tyson's bathtub
Mike Tyson had to go through some hard times after a lifetime of bad financial management. He eventually sold the 24 carat gold bathtub he had bought for his beloved wife. While Mike Tyson had procured the eccentricity for $2.2 million, he sold it to British billionaire, Derwood Hodgegrass, for around half the price. Having paid $1.2 million, Hodgegrass said in an interview:
I picked it up at nearly half the cost, and gold is more valuable today. Oh, it’s just a lark. Aside from perhaps the death tubs of Marat and Jim Morrison, I’d venture to say few bathtubs have this kind of provenance.
However, a few members of Mr. Derwood's staff had reservations about the authenticity of the bathtub or rather it's ownership. One of Hodgegrass's staffer said:
I think Mr. Hodgegrass is just happy to believe it, whether the thing is legit or not. But it’s definitely solid gold, and that’s indisputable.