Mike Tyson is widely regarded as one of the greatest heavyweights in boxing history, but the fearsome fighter struggled with the fame and fortune that came with success.
Mike Tyson, the youngest boxer in history to win the title of world heavyweight champion, opens up about his struggles with fame and personal issues. Ahead of his highly anticipated bout with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, Tyson admitted he initially found it difficult to cope with the acclaim that came with his boxing success.
He confessed that he felt “self-loathing” and lashed out due to personal issues. Tyson revealed on the latest episode of Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios: “At first I want the fame of being champion, but… it's not in my control anymore. That's when I first started getting into trouble, and when I was walking down the street, people didn't know that my mother died, they didn't know that my brother died, they didn't know about my family, and I… When you're hurting, you just jump in and say, “Hey, I love this.'' Give me this. ”
The former heavyweight champion admitted that he often reacted violently when he was not in the mood to interact with fans, leading to several lawsuits. He said: “I didn't feel like it, so I used to get violent over it. After that, I started getting a lot of lawsuits, so I stopped. I can't stand pain, but I stopped. I couldn't do it. ” Don’t sign any more checks. ”
Growing up in Brooklyn, Tyson was exposed to a variety of crimes and illegal drugs, and reportedly went to prison 38 times by the time he was 13. Although boxing gave him the opportunity to turn his life around, he continued to get into crime and trouble. Throughout his career he was law-abiding, and he cited his own internal struggles as the cause.
Read more: Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul conspiracy theory emerges after rules are announced
Read more: Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul undercard could feature UFC legend who fought Conor McGregor
“It was self-loathing that got me into that,” he says. “I don’t love myself, I don’t care about myself. [of] myself. But when you tend to show things like love for yourself, things start to change. ”
“And I'm not talking about love. Love isn't buying yourself a new mansion or a new car. Love is buying someone else a mansion. It's very interesting that later in life I I discovered it.”
Despite all his struggles outside the ring, Tyson continued to dominate the boxing world, starting his fighting career with 19 consecutive wins. He continued to rise through the heavyweight division, amassing a record of 50-6 with 44 knockouts, en route to being named “The Baddest Man on the Planet.”
For the latest in US news, politics, sports and entertainment, visit: The Mirror US .
Tyson is set to face Paul this summer, but the 57-year-old admitted his flaws have shaped him into the person he is today.
“I trained hard and I partied hard. If I hadn't done that, I wouldn't be Mike Tyson. That's what makes me who I am today. “Because there is,” he said. “Life has flaws and you learn from them. Life isn't perfect…it just doesn't work that way.”
“This whole planet is one big school, and we are the students,” Tyson continued. “And just like in school, some people learn faster than others, and some people learn really, really slow. [it] Apparently not. ”