Mike Tyson opened up on his new-found lease of life ahead of training stint in the corner of former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
“The Baddest Man on the Planet” returns to the spotlight once again, gaining inner peace from a dark place during the late 1990s and 2000s.
Even when filming “The Hangover” movie franchise later on, Tyson was still struggling to find himself after years of substance abuse.
As he prepares to send Ngannou into battle against Tyson Fury, Tyson is in a philosophical mood.
How is Mike Tyson today?
“It feels incredibly lucky [to be involved in Fury vs Ngannou],” Tyson told GQ. “We can’t anticipate our next breath, but life is great.
“Even at its worst, it’s great. You know? – Just being able to breathe, and nothing else, that’s still incredible.”
Tyson added his feelings about life now: “I don’t want to die. Even if I don’t have nothing, I don’t wanna die.” Tyson smiles. “It’s beautiful.”
“I’m just grateful. I just wanted the world to know that deep down, I’m a scared, good little boy.”
During the conversation, Tyson remembered his old mentor, Cus D’Amato. Now that he’s passing on wisdom himself [to Ngannou], the former heavyweight champion reminisced about the first time they met.
“The first day I met him, he said I was going to be the champion of the world. Crazy, right? Crazy! The first day we met, he said, ‘You’re gonna be the youngest heavyweight champion of the world,'” said Tyson.
“I looked at this white man and was like, Who is this weird white boy who says I’m a god and all this, you know? – And he was right!”
Mentor
D’Amato passed away before Tyson fulfilled the prophecy. He remains thankful just to have known such a knowledgeable boxing man.
“Listen: my mentor’s a master. He was doing this manifestation stuff in the ’40s. He’s a master. He’s a special man.
“How could you not [listen to him]? How could you think a guy like me from Brownsville, from the sewage system, how could I get here and talk to you?
“You would be somebody I would eat in the street! How would I get here? Now you are interviewing me? What the hell?
“It was ordained. It was the way it was supposed to be. The ordeals, the people dying; it’s just the way it was supposed to be.”
Tyson bids to write another chapter in his exceptional history on October 28 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
