Inside Mike Tyson’s abandoned Ohio mansion

13 Photos

Johnny Joo, a 24-year-old photographer from Ohio, has documented “the creepiness of an abandoned lunatic asylum, to the quiet, vast emptiness of a forgotten chapel, but nothing quite like the abandoned home of a former professional boxer.”

Mike Tyson declared bankruptcy in 2003, despite having received over $30 million for several of his fights and $300 million during his career, leaving behind a mansion in Southington, Ohio purchased in the 1980s.

The current owners granted Joo permission to access the property to photograph its current condition of decay and neglect, he wrote in a blog post about the property. “I was able to speak with them, learning that the house was soon to become a lively church and how they planned to carry out this restoration,” Joo wrote of the church’s plans to turn the property into a Living Word Sanctuary.

Crystal chandeliers, a pool larger than most homes, elegant tile and woodwork were left behind with graffiti and leaves.

“As I wandered the halls and rooms of this large vacant space, I could only imagine the wild parties that must have taken place within these walls. There I stood, looking across a living room that was once full of life, but now remains empty of parties, tigers or celebrities. It was odd to think that I was staring down a place the famous Mike Tyson once called home.”

You can see more of Joo’s work on his website.