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Ip Man Actor Details How He Ended Up Fracturing Mike Tyson While Shooting a Scene

Published 03/21/2023, 1:07 PM EDT

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Boxing legend Mike Tyson is one of the few boxers who has had success in creative endeavors outside the ring. The former heavyweight champion has found a lot of success in acting making his Hollywood debut with a cameo appearance in ‘The Hangover’. Moreover, he has continued to find success in Hollywood, often playing exaggerated versions of himself.

‘Iron Mike’ usually features in action films filled with combat scenes which should not be surprising. However, sometimes things don’t go as planned even when the fight scenes are choreographed as IP man star Donnie Yen revealed how he accidentally broke Tyson’s finger while on a shoot.

Donnie Yen details how he broke Mike Tyson’s pinky finger

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In a recent interview with Jimmy Kimmel the actor from Hong Kong, revealed a choreographed fight scene the two were shooting. Despite the scene going very well, Yen claimed that the media were concerned for him after a session with Tyson. However, he then stated that Tyson came on stage during a press conference and showed the press that he was the one with the broken finger.

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There was another choreography where he was coming at me with flurry punches right and I had to do this martial art technique. I was doing this Wing Chun style where there’s a lot of short elbow blocks. So I was blocking his techniques and okay.  The scene went really well and the next day we had a press conference. All the reporters came and they were asking me how is it working with Mike you know did you get injured and this and they would show a lot of attention to me then Mike jumped out and picked up his arms and he got this bandage wrapped around his pinky and he said why are you giving Donnie all this love when my finger accidentally fractured his pinky.” he said.

Despite the injury, Yen and Tyson were able to finish filming the scene, and the final product was well-received by audiences. Yen credited Tyson’s professionalism and willingness to work through the incident as a testament to his character.

Donnie Yen became fearful for his life while filming with Mike Tyson

In an interview with South China Post, Yen detailed how he had to be extra cautious while filming with Tyson. He stated that he was afraid that “Iron Mike’ might go all out and end up taking his life.

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I was worried that he might not hold back in using force as he is not an actor, I had to be very cautious. I saw it as a life-and-death boxing match. Just a little carelessness and it could be fatal.” said Yen.

via Getty

This incident highlights the dangers of performing stunts and fight scenes in films, even for trained professionals like Yen and Tyson. It also speaks to the dedication and professionalism of both men who were willing to go the extra mile for their movie.

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What did you think about Yen accidentally breaking Tyson’s pinky? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by:

Sahil Sood

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Sahil Sood is a Boxing writer at EssentiallySports. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication, and holds a keen interest in the 'sweet science'. His journey towards following boxing began when he first saw the highlights of Mike Tyson as a teenager, and then closely followed the rise of Floyd Mayweather.
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Edited by:

Arijit Saha