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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 savage 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 – forty years ago, perhaps. So purely violent and destructive was the boxer that he was arguably as one-dimensional as he was single-minded. Nowadays, things are more complicated. For a long time, he has been a genuine enigma.
The American, who still holds the record of 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 widely beloved by so 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.
And yet. “There’s nothing nice about me,” he says, speaking to The Independent and other publications over Zoom, two weeks before his fight with YouTuber Jake Paul – one of the most controversial boxing matches in years. “I’m not a nice person. I’m a decent person, I try to do the right thing. But a nice person, I am not. Anybody with the [idea] that I’m a nice person is gonna be disappointed. I’m just not. I don’t make people happy for no reason, I’m just who I am. I’m not trying to gain friends, that’s basically what I’m saying. I don’t want to make friends with you, I don’t care if you put me on your yacht, I don’t give a f***. I’m not gonna ever be nice to nobody; I’ll be kind, but never nice.”
I ask about the difference between being “nice” and “kind”. His reply slithers out with that familiar lisp. “I think being a nice guy is looking for friends, going out of your way to make someone happy. I’m not gonna go out of my way to kiss someone’s ass so they can have a great day. I’m just not that guy. To pretty much neglect yourself for someone else’s happiness, I’m not gonna do that.”
In his mind, then, Tyson is kind but not nice. Either way, he is polite. He routinely checks whether you’ve understood him. “Does that make any sense at all?” he’ll ask. “You understand that now, don’t you?”
But if Tyson does not neglect himself, why is he still not at peace?
Again, he wants to make sure you’re on the same page as him. “Tell me, what is peace? What is the definition of peace? So I can really answer the question properly.”
‘Contentment’, replies the journalist in question.
“I’m never content, so I guess I don’t have peace. No, no…”
‘But is it better than it was?’
“Absolutely. I have more responsibilities, my life is more… I don’t know… more practical than it was before. Having kids, having a wife, having chores, having things to do!” Tyson laughs. “When I was a champion, I had nothing of substance to do. Party, drink, women, talk s***. There was no substance back then.”
No substance, just substances. And for a 20-year-old Tyson, that might not have seemed a bad thing. But for the older Tyson, singular substance is more important than the plural.
That seems to be why he is boxing again, 19 years after his last professional bout, and four years after his exhibition with Roy Jones Jr. It seems to be why he is facing a 27-year-old opponent, five months after suffering a mid-flight health scare that delayed the fight. And yes, Tyson’s bout with Paul is an officially-sanctioned, pro match, set for eight two-minute rounds at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on 15 November. The fight will air live on Netflix, in an unprecedented move, and knockouts will be allowed.
Fans are split. Those of a certain generation, who fondly remember Tyson at his bestial best, are convinced he will brutalise a Disney Channel actor-turned-YouTuber-turned-boxer. Those of a younger generation, who note Paul’s lesser skill but have seen him KO ex-UFC fighters more youthful than Tyson, are playing devil’s advocate. Then there are those who acknowledge the pair’s friendship, and suspect the fight will be an exhibition in everything but name.
“I’ve been through some spiritual experiences, and things changed for the better in my life, so I’m willing to anticipate being involved in fighting again,” Tyson says. “Maybe it… maybe it touches my childhood. Maybe it has some connection with my childhood. This money from this fight is not gonna change my lifestyle or life one percentage, I will always be able to live this way; I could use a buck like everyone else, but this is not for financial reasons. I’m just doing it because I want to test myself.
“Regardless of me being how old I am, this guy only has 11 fights. If I can just fight a little bit, with my experience… if I can just fight 10 per cent of what I was, he can’t match that. That’s being sincere. I’m gonna beat him. I know what I can do, I’ve seen what he’s capable of doing, and I’m not intimidated or afraid of him.”
Paul is 10-1 (7 KOs), his sole defeat coming on points against Tommy Fury in early 2023. That night in Saudi Arabia, the half-brother of Tyson Fury was victorious in one of the biggest matches that crossover boxing has seen. Paul vs Tyson will top that, for better or worse.
“Boxing has changed tremendously, and I’m changing it more so by doing this fight,” says Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs, if you were wondering). “I’m a part of boxing changing as well. When you think about it, not being egotistical: who else can do this? Just think about it, go ahead. I’m not trying to jerk myself off, but who else could do this? Nobody, huh?”
Indeed, whichever way you look at it, there is nobody like Mike Tyson.
Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson will stream live exclusively on Netflix on Friday 15 November.
