Documentary Examines West Philly Boxer Tyrell Biggs

Via West Philly Local comes news that a documentary is being made about Tyrell Biggs, a West Philly boxing phenom whose career ended at 27 with a loss to Mike Tyson.

The producers are trying to raise $35,000 from Kickstarter to complete the documentary. They describe the project thusly:

Tyrell Biggs, a standout athlete in high school, takes up boxing and wins Olympic Gold and his first 15 pro fights. But there’s a dark side to Biggs, one that includes a history of drug and alcohol abuse. Following a devastating loss in his title fight with Tyson, Biggs falls into obscurity, then must slowly try to rebuild his life.

Were drugs his downfall – the addiction he could never really recover from? Did his management take him too far too fast, throwing him in too soon against the seemingly indestructible Mike Tyson? What was the long- term damage inflicted on him by the savage beating he endured at the hands of Tyson? And how does one explain the catastrophically downward spiral of his career as he subsequently loses against a series of opponents far less skilled than he?

Donations are due Nov. 26