'There's nothing nice about me, I'm not a nice person'
The Independent|November 01, 2024
Mike Tyson, once known as 'the baddest man on the planet', talks to The Independent ahead of his fight with Jake Paul
ALEX PATTLE
'There's nothing nice about me, I'm not a nice person'

Mike Tyson is not a nice guy, and he is not at peace. Those are his words. The words of a former world heavyweight champion. The words of a brutal fighter once proclaimed (fairly) as the “baddest man on the planet”. The words of a fighter who chewed a chunk out of an opponent’s ear. The words of a father, husband, podcaster and convicted criminal.

There was a time when Mike Tyson was a simple being – 40 years ago, perhaps. So purely violent and destructive was the boxer that he was arguably as one-dimensional as he was singleminded. Nowadays, things are more complicated. For a long time, he has been a genuine enigma.

The American, who still holds the record for being boxing’s youngest-ever world heavyweight champion, is older now. The 58-year-old did his time in prison – from 1992 to 1995 after being convicted of rape, plus nine months in 1999 for assaulting two motorists – and served his ban for biting into Evander Holyfield’s ear.

Despite his troubling and troubled past, Tyson is loved by many boxing fans for the memories he gave them during his prime; he is treasured for the sense of wonderment he drilled through their TV screens and into their living rooms with vicious, merciless strikes in the Eighties and Nineties. Punches that altered the lives of Tyson’s opponents and audiences, in different ways.

Watching Tyson at that time might have been akin to staring at fire up close, finding yourself absorbed by the flames. You wouldn’t want to touch them, of course, but their power speaks to something primal. Mike Tyson spoke to something primal in other humans. So, it feels as though there was always an urge to forgive him for his mistakes: the immoral and criminal. In many ways, he is a changed man. In others, maybe not. There has long been a desire to see him as changed, at least.

This story is from the November 01, 2024 edition of The Independent.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the November 01, 2024 edition of The Independent.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE INDEPENDENTView All
DeChambeau is an unlikely winner in game's civil war
The Independent

DeChambeau is an unlikely winner in game's civil war

As golf's civil war rumbles on, with any optimism that came from the announcement in June 2023 that LIV Golf and the PGA Tour had a framework agreement in place for a merger having long since dissipated, it's hard to argue that the situation has created many winners.

time-read
6 mins  |
December 25, 2024
Mbappe looks a spare part in the Real Madrid machine
The Independent

Mbappe looks a spare part in the Real Madrid machine

Real Madrid are the kings of Europe, that much was true even before La Decimoquinta.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 25, 2024
Sign on the dotted line: the £12m steal and £50m dud
The Independent

Sign on the dotted line: the £12m steal and £50m dud

The best and worst Premier League transfers this season

time-read
6 mins  |
December 25, 2024
Why are there no trains running on Christmas Day?
The Independent

Why are there no trains running on Christmas Day?

Q Why don't any trains run on Christmas Day in the UK? Everywhere else on the European continent trains run on 25 December.

time-read
1 min  |
December 25, 2024
The flightmare before Christmas: why December disruption is so painful
The Independent

The flightmare before Christmas: why December disruption is so painful

Air traffic control language is commendably succinct. The advisory message that was sent out by the US Command Center at 11.50am GMT on Christmas Eve read: “Nationwide ground stop for all AAL Main and Subs”.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 25, 2024
CLAUSE FOR CONCERN
The Independent

CLAUSE FOR CONCERN

A new study suggests lying about Santa is not only 'unethical' but also bad parenting. Charlotte Cripps finds out if telling a festive fib should really earn you a spot on the naughty list

time-read
5 mins  |
December 25, 2024
Sanctioned Russian cargo ship sinks after explosion
The Independent

Sanctioned Russian cargo ship sinks after explosion

A US-sanctioned Russian cargo ship sank in the Mediterranean Sea overnight after an explosion ripped through the engine room, Russia's foreign ministry confirmed.

time-read
1 min  |
December 25, 2024
Protests in Syria erupt after Christmas tree set on fire
The Independent

Protests in Syria erupt after Christmas tree set on fire

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets across Syria after foreign fighters burned down a Christmas tree in the centre of the country, sparking concerns about sectarian violence.

time-read
1 min  |
December 25, 2024
The Independent

Canal threat is latest drama in Trump's Panama history

Donald Trump strained North American diplomatic relations over the weekend with a threat to retake the Panama Canal, two and a half decades after the US transferred control of the vital global trade route to Panama.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 25, 2024
Hong Kong issues arrest warrant for teenage activist
The Independent

Hong Kong issues arrest warrant for teenage activist

A 19-year-old pro-democracy activist who went from finishing secondary school in the UK to becoming one of Hong Kong's most wanted critics has vowed that she will not be silenced by Chinese fear and suppression.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 25, 2024