Mike Tyson Wears Ukrainian Traditional Shirt To Boxing Legends Parade in Honor Of Ukrainian Adoptive Mother

Jean Lefevre

Mike Tyson turned a boxing showcase in New York into a tribute to the woman who helped raise him, stepping out at a parade honoring rising star Bruce Carrington in a Ukrainian vyshyvanka instead of his usual ringside attire.

The 60-year-old former heavyweight champion joined fellow greats Zab Judah, Shannon Briggs, and Riddick Bowe at the August 15 event, which celebrated 29-year-old boxer Bruce Carrington.

But it was Tyson’s choice of clothing that stood out among the assembled legends. The embroidered shirt was not a random fashion choice. Tyson’s ties to Ukraine trace back to his early years, when he was taken in by Camilla Ewald, a Ukrainian woman originally from the Ternopil region.

Ewald shared her life with legendary trainer Cus D’Amato, the man who would go on to shape Tyson’s rise through the sport. When Tyson’s biological mother could no longer care for him, D’Amato and Ewald stepped in, formally adopting him in 1981.

That household became the foundation for everything that followed. Guided by D’Amato and Ewald, Tyson began the climb that would eventually carry him to the top of the heavyweight ranks. He became the youngest boxer ever to hold the WBC, WBA, and IBF titles, capturing his first belt at just 20 years with a second-round stoppage of Trevor Berbick. He went on to become the first heavyweight to unify all three major titles at once, and across his career he came out on top in 11 world heavyweight title bouts.

Decades later, the vyshyvanka served as a quiet nod to that formative chapter of his life, a visible reminder that the woman who helped raise him, and the culture she came from, still holds a place in how he presents himself on notable occasions.

Jean Lefevre