Mike Tyson said his mother's death was "one of the best things that ever happened to me."- Lorna died when Tyson was 16 and would have "babied" him, he said.
Mike Tyson's mother, Lorna, died when famed boxer was 16 years old, and he recently said her passing was "one of the best things that ever happened" to him.
She would have "babied" him, according to Tyson. But instead, he got into street fights and learned to stand up for himself, he told the Shay Shay Club podcast, last month.
"There's no way I would ever got into a street fight," said Tyson. "No way I would ever learn to stand up for myself."
Tyson developed as a boxer at such a fast rate in the 1980s that he became the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history when he beat Trevor Berbick, at age 20, to win the title. It is a record that has survived ever since.
Tyson went on to compete in numerous big
Regarding the relationship he had with his mother, Tyson said: "I never saw my mother happy with me and proud of me for doing something.
"She only knew me as being a wild kid running the streets, coming home with new clothes that she knew I didn't pay for.
"I never got a chance to talk to her or know about her," he said. "Professionally, it has no effect, but it's crushing emotionally and personally."
Tyson has enjoyed a renaissance in fame and money of late
Tyson has grown his popularity into his 50s as he hosts the successful Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson podcast, owns a cannabis empire that reportedly earns him more than $500,000 a month, and took part in a boxing exhibition against fellow Hall of Famer Roy Jones Jr. in 2020.
He made headlines again this year as a man appeared to brandish a gun near Tyson at an LA club, but calmed down when the ex-boxing champ offered him a hug.
And in April, he was seen on video hitting an airplane passenger that was apparently badgering him.
Weeks later, he said he shouldn't fly on "public planes" after the footage went viral.
Tyson was rumored to return to the ring against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, but the creator is competing against Hasim Rahman Jr. on August 6.
Tyson remains linked with a prizefighter and could instead box his old rival Lennox Lewis, The Sun reported recently.