Hugh Jackman. Billy Crystal. Kathy Griffin. Elaine Stritch. All of these entertainers have found a home on Broadway, where they can hold the stage with some memories, some music and a profound sense of how they got there. Now the Great White Way is making room for the self-proclaimed Baddest Man on the Planet.

Starting July 31st, Mike Tyson – the youngest boxer to hold the three major heavyweight boxing titles simultaneously – will bring his own solo show to the Longacre Theatre for twelve nights only.

Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth will offer a rare, personal look inside the life and mind of the one of the most feared men ever to wear the heavyweight crown. Directed by Academy Award nominee Spike Lee, this riveting one man show goes beyond the headlines, behind the scenes and between the lines to deliver a must-see theatrical knockout.

Undisputed Truth premiered in Las Vegas this April, and when James L. Nederlander saw a recording of the show at the suggestion of Spike Lee, he agreed to bring it to Broadway – on one condition.

“Spike called me and said, ‘This is a real opportunity. Let’s see if we can do this,’” to which Nederlander responded, “Only if you lend your expertise to this project and direct it.”

Nederlander and Lee had been discussing various Broadway projects for the last three years. And while the two men are listed as presenters of Undisputed Truth, Nederlander makes it clear that Lee will be more than simply a figurehead.

“The point is for Spike to really lend his creativity to bring the Vegas show into sharper focus,” Nederlander says. The show will be streamlined to 90 minutes for Broadway, and the show will feature a four-piece band playing music to accompany Tyson’s recollections.

Nederlander says Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth will appeal to “anyone who is interested in a success story.”

By John Allendale