“I love Mike Tyson because he did it his way.” –Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Today, Mike Tyson finds happiness in simplicity. During our visit to his home in suburban Las Vegas, the former heavyweight champion was a bit reserved until he got the opportunity to show off his beloved pigeon coop.
Tyson explains the nuances and habits of his pigeons just like an accomplished trainer would break down the fundamentals of boxing. Once Tyson allowed his pigeons to fly, he pointed out how the tumbler pigeons would roll over backward during flight. Some pigeons would do so at speeds so fast that they would often kill themselves or come close to death because they didn’t have time to land correctly.
In a sense, the tumbler pigeons mirror Tyson’s life during his younger days. Living fast and reckless only to narrowly escape death or destruction.
Growing up poor in Brooklyn, N.Y., during the 1980s could have that type of effect. Tyson became another soul consumed by the tragedies created by poverty.
“All of my friends were animals,” Tyson revealed while reminiscing about his turbulent childhood.
“We would rob guys. I grew up in a dysfunctional situation where drugs and violence were normal. I would’ve been a drug dealer. When I was starting my pro career and only making like $500 per fight, I used to always hook my boys up with money for crack to sell. But my whole life changed when they killed my friend over a drug deal gone bad. From then on, I never went back to hustling and I stayed focused on boxing.”
Tyson’s gift for obliterating opponents in the boxing ring rescued him from the poverty and criminal activity that gripped most of his peers. Under the guidance of legendary trainer Cus D’Amato (who died in 1985), Tyson became the youngest heavyweight boxing champ in history at the age of 20.
Indeed, Tyson found a way to escape poverty, but he couldn’t escape the allure that comes with money and fame. He slept with countless numbers of women, purchased dozens of exotic cars, threw wild parties, and delved into drug use.
One prison stint, a controversial biting of Evander Holyfield’s ear and two divorces later, Tyson lost nearly $400 million of the money he earned throughout his career.
“When I was younger, all I thought about was fame, fortune, girls, sex and drugs,” Tyson says. “When my career was over, I left a massive wreckage in my past. I realized I won a lot of superficial victories such as sex and money. I’m now trying to make amends. I love moral victories more. And that’s real love when you care more about morals than anything else.”
By the late 2000s, Tyson found himself attempting to walk the straight and narrow for the first time in his life. However, the tragic death of his 4-year-old daughter, Exodus, in 2009 caused Tyson to briefly relapse. She was killed in the family home after playing with a faulty treadmill.
“Where I come from, people aren’t happy, so they get hooked on drugs,” Tyson says. “People get drunk, snort cocaine, smoke marijuana and use syringes because they can’t stop [the] pain. They’re trying to kill pain. Drug use won’t stop until someone can stop the hurt. We’re in pain out here.”
Tyson walked away from drugs and alcohol and has been sober for three years. He’s a devout Muslim and has adopted a strict vegan diet for the past 12 months. The diet allowed Tyson to flush many of the impurities out of his system and he eventually lost 100 pounds.
Tyson now looks back on his past hardships and realizes that they made him stronger and led him to approach life differently.
“I’m glad I went through those experiences because I survived them, and look at where I’m at now,” he says. “Nothing’s perfect in life and I love who I am and who I’m becoming. I’m establishing a relationship with my wife and staying committed. I’m really enjoying this stage of my life.”
This stage of Tyson’s life actually has him on stage. Nearly two years ago, Tyson sat down with his wife, Kiki Tyson, and the two found an interesting way for him to tell his story to the masses. They came up with the one-man stage show, Mike Tyson: The Undisputed Truth.
The nearly two-hour show, directed by Spike Lee, features an unfiltered Tyson divulging stories on fi ghting Don King; time in prison; his mother’s drinking issues; his sexual conquests and how he once caught Brad Pitt making out with his ex-wife, Robin Givens.
“There’s not much of a difference in preparing for boxing and preparing for the stage,” he says. “Everything must be precise. You just have to possess a great deal of confidence and understanding of where to go and how to maintain energy.”
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