ITS not everyday you get the opportunity to meet a real-life legend face-to-face so when Weekly News reporter Samantha Castle was given the chance to meet boxing champion Mike Tyson she jumped at it.

Meeting the Baddest Man on the Planet was quite a profound experience for me. Not being a boxing fan but still being very aware of Mr Tyson's reputation in and out of the ring made me feel slightly apprehensive of our meeting and put me at a disadvantage knowledge- wise, but I had no reason to fear him he was a pussycat!
I had been invited, courtesy of Dragon Promotions' Mike Williams, ring-master of the An Evening with Mike Tyson tour, to experience the £75 VIP package for myself.
I along with thousands of eager men and a handful of less eager women pilled into Venue Cymru last Friday evening and took my place at the back of a long queue to meet the legend that is Iron Man Mike Tyson.
After a number of security checks and the opportunity to purchase my own unique piece of Mike Tyson memorabilia including framed boxing gloves, shorts, T-shirts and photos, I eventually had my turn.
Under strick instructions that I wasn't allowed to ask Mr Tyson a single question- which was just as well as I know nothing about boxing and was actually going to ask what his favourite cheese was and did he have anymore plans to act (see The Hangover)- I took my place beside him under the glare of the flashbulbs.
Dressed in a brown suit and looking mean and trim for his 43 years, with a shaven head and that famous facial tattoo, he clasps my right hand in both his huge shovel-like hands and said 'Good evening mam' in a soft voice that reminded me of the late Michael Jackson's soft raspy whisper. I put my left arm round his back against his still very solid torso, we both faced the camera and smiled and he then he turned to me again and said 'Thank you' and 'Good buy' as I left the room.
Softly spoken and very polite- how surprisingly nice!
The show itself was a funny affair with a panel of boxing greats including Mike Tyson- the youngest heavyweight champion in history, Big Joe Egan, Jonny Nelson and former world heavyweight champion Tim Witherspoon lined up on the stage surrounded by more boxing memorabilia.
After the boxing greats each took their turn sharing anecdotes about their time with Mike there was a rather slap-stick auction of the boxing paraphernalia before Mike himself took to the stage for a short Q&A session.
Altogether a very interesting and entertaining evening- one to tell the grandchildren.

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