The Celebrity That Spent $2.2 Million On A Solid Gold Bathtub

Mike Tyson won 50 of his 58 professional fights, with 44 coming by knockout. That run made him the undisputed heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990 and earned him Fighter of the Year honors from Ring Magazine in 1986 and 1988. At the height of his fame, he spent $2.2 million on a 24-karat gold bathtub, fitted with polished panels and custom taps, for his then-wife Robin Givens, one of many headlines during their high-profile late-'80s marriage.

At 20 years and four months old, Mike Tyson stopped Trevor Berbick on November 22, 1986, to win the WBC title and become the youngest heavyweight champion in history. He opened his career with 19 straight knockouts, 12 of them in the first round, setting the tone for what came next. In 1987, he unified the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles, then defended the undisputed crown six times across 18 fights, beating names like Tyrell Biggs, Larry Holmes, Tony Tubbs, Michael Spinks, Frank Bruno, and Carl Williams. With an 88% knockout ratio, "Iron Mike" still appears on modern heavyweight power-punch rankings, underscoring the menace that defined his prime.

Iron Mike had a unique way of demonstrating his love. It was in 1988 that Mike Tyson gave Robin Givens the gold bathtub worth $2.2 million, which was nearly 10 times the price of the average U.S. home at the time. Tyson earned close to $300 million over his career, enough to make his $2.2 million gold bathtub seem like a casual splurge. Still, the tub stood out even next to his Bengal tigers, which cost around $70,000 each, and a lineup of multi-million-dollar homes. It reflected the pace of his peak years; fast knockouts at work, and faster spending at home, the kind of lifestyle that led some rappers to bankruptcy.

Givens entered Mike Tyson's life in early 1987, after mutual friends introduced the rising actress to the newly crowned heavyweight champion. Their relationship moved fast. By February 7, 1988, they were married at Holy Angels Catholic Church in Chicago, a surprise that made headlines across sports and entertainment. But the spotlight soon turned harsh. In a televised 20/20 interview on September 30, 1988, Givens, sitting beside a silent Tyson, described their life together as "torture... pure hell," pointing to his temper and the fear it caused her. A week later, she filed for divorce and the marriage officially ended on Valentine's Day 1989. This divorce is one of the most expensive in history.

Years after his prime, Mike Tyson parted with the gold bathtub. In June 2013, the 24-karat fixture was loaded onto a flatbed and sent to Southampton, where businessman Derwood Hodgegrass bought it for $1.2 million. That price marked a steep drop from Tyson's original $2.2 million spend, a 45% cut on one of his most famous splurges.

Hodgegrass didn't buy the tub for its connection to Tyson's boxing history, he bought it for the gold. "I picked it up at nearly half the cost, and gold is more valuable today...it's just a lark," he said, brushing off the Tyson connection. For him, the value was in the metal, not the backstory. While Tyson saw a way to free up cash, Hodgegrass saw a chance to turn a profit, which makes sense when you consider how investing in gold can protect you during inflation.

Tyson's money troubles ran far. Court records show he burned through nearly $300 million on homes, cars, legal battles, and exotic pets, leading him to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August 2003. Selling the gold bathtub was just one part of a larger effort to settle debts, a reminder that even solid gold turns into spare change when spending goes unchecked.