Australian bodybuilding great Lee Priest recently shared an interesting anecdote about how he ended up getting his face tattoo. Face tattoos, often serve as an intimidating look. Priest, had no hesitations in getting a tattoo on his face, but something stopped him from taking the leap. It was the notion of copying another legendary sportsperson, who besides his exploits inside the ring, is equally iconic for getting his face tattoo.

Mike Tyson is a name that resounds with every boxing fan, and also a non-boxing fan. From his aggression inside and outside the ring to his unbelievably high win ratio, Tyson’s exploits are legendary in every aspect. His iconic face tattoo just adds to the intimidating personality of the boxer. Priest feared people might think he is copying him.

Bodybuilding giant Lee Priest waited long enough to get the tattoo for good reason

In a recent YouTube clip by the channel ‘Flex Lewis’, Lee Priest talks about the origins of his face tattoo, and how he almost didn’t get it. He said, “I thought I’ll get on my face. But then it was only a year later Tyson got his. And I went, ‘Don’t want to get it now. I think I am copying him'”. For the unversed, Tyson got his face tattoo in 2003 by S. Victor Whitmill.

It was his fourth tattoo and one that was inspired by the Maori style ‘ta moko’. Tyson got his to be associated with the Maoris, who he believes are warriors. He thus, calls his fourth tattoo ‘the warrior tattoo’. His 3 other tattoos are that of Che Guevara, Mao Zedong, and tennis player Arthur Ashe. At least two of them are prison tattoos.

READ MORE – “I Just Don’t See It’s Fair”: The Day Legend Lee Priest Went Against Mr. Olympia Prizing Criteria to Support Fellow Bodybuilders

So when Priest decided to get it the next year, he had no doubts that he would’ve been called a copycat. He took a few years off and then got it. But the narrative that he feared still crept up on him. “Oh, you’re copying Tyson”, people said to him as Priest recalled.

His wife’s and his mother’s love is enough for him to carry off a face tattoo

Priest still kept the tattoo for fourteen years, until one day he decided to laser it off. “I’ll take it off”, he said. But strange enough to Priest, his mother, and his wife were both unhappy at the prospect. He even quoted his wife saying, “I fell in love when you had it”, referring to Priest’s tattoo. So after meddling around with the ‘Lensa app’ (that allows you to get tattoos, including face ones, virtually), Priest got his tattoo done again.

Lee Priest’s mom loved the tattoo so much, that all his inhibitions about others thinking he may have copied Tyson, just went out the window. Priest has always been a brazen personality who once questioned cis-women’s silence over trans athletes in Powerlifting, and another time went against Mr. Olympia‘s prizing category. He could easily carry off a face tattoo despite what people think.