Tyson cameo adds punch to ‘Hangover'

Mike Tyson has found a new venue for knocking people out – the silver screen.

“Iron Mike” proved he still has a puncher’s chance at life in the new Todd Phillips comedy, “The Hangover,” where with one swift blow he pummels the character Alan (Zach Galifianakis) in the face.

Alan swells up immediately and is shown knocked unconscious on the floor of his hotel villa with a black eye.

The reason?

Alan and his buds got a little too temulent during a bachelor party in Las Vegas and stole Mike Tyson’s tiger. Later, Mike found out via security camera that Alan also urinated in his backyard pool. Oops!

Tyson hasn’t had a victory in the ring since 2003, unless you count every time he pummels me when I play “Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out.” A single punch in the first 90 seconds of Round One in that game is an instant trip to the canvas. If you still have a functioning Nintendo Entertainment System, the code to get to Tyson is 007 373 5963.

I still have that memorized along with the code for 30 lives in Contra. Yes, I realize you can get that on some stupid T-shirt at Hot Topic but anyone who buys that shirt isn’t old enough to have played the game when “Kid Dynamite” was still awesome.

Before the tattoos and prison and illegitimate children. Before he bit Evander Holyfield’s ear off. Before losing to Buster Douglas even, in the worst sports upset since the 1980 Miracle on Ice.

Tyson reinventing himself as an actor might be a better comeback than the one he attempted in 2004-5, when he lost to two chumps no one had ever heard of. It’s certainly better than the Vegas comeback golfer John Daly attempted, hawking autographs at some casino.

For those of you who remember Tyson as “The Baddest Man on the Planet,” undisputably the most feared boxer of a generation, I suggest paying the eight bucks to see “The Hangover” in theaters.

You’ll get tons of laughs regardless, but seeing Mike Tyson bludgeoning someone’s face again made it worth an hour of this sports writer’s salary all on its own.

Contact sports writer Paul Gadbois at 934-6800 or sports@tcnpress.com. Sports Editor Craig Purcell returns next week.