Mike Tyson Is Now Simply a Good Man

Former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world “Iron Mike" Tyson was recently interviewed by Michael Kay of the Yes Network for a segment of CenterStage that will air on May 26th.

“Sometimes I’m filthy. I’m wretched,” said Tyson, 43, who remains the youngest man in history to ever capture the heavyweight crowns. “And sometimes I’m not so bad. Mike Tyson ain’t nothing special. Just another human being, trying to get along.”

Tyson (50-6-0-2, 44 KOs) is wrong because he is, and he always will be, “special.”

“Iron Mike” was an enormously skilled boxer who, on a given evening in the peak of his career, could have trumped any pugilist in the annals of the sport.

Tyson seamlessly correlated incredible strength, with astounding quickness and coordination, to become one of the most fearsome boxers to ever enter the ring.

Sadly, Tyson squandered his talents and instead became a laughing stock frequently described as a cannibalistic, convicted rapist.

Many view Tyson as a subhuman disgrace who’s the epitome of a loser.

Incredibly, Tyson has managed to revamp his public image and he is now something of a quasi role model on how to persevere in the tough fight of life.

“I’m living such an awesome life, it’s scary,” said Tyson, who retired in June 2005 after he suffered an embarrassing sixth round TKO loss to journeyman Kevin McBride (34-6-1, 29 KOs). “I ain’t got no drama going on right now.”

To hear Tyson say he’s “got no drama going on right now” is nothing less than miraculous.

Tyson was raised in the gritty streets of Brooklyn and his propensity for violence and crime was evident before he entered adolescence.

Fortunately, Tyson was rescued from his horrific surroundings and misdeeds by a man named Cus D’Amato.

D’Amato, a renowned boxing manager and trainer, became Tyson’s legal guardian in 1982.

D’Amato channeled Tyson’s anger and ferociousness and he helped hone him into a spectacular prizefighter.

Tyson and D’Amato both believed it was strictly a matter of time before the precocious puncher became the best fighter in the world.

In 1986 at 20 years of age, Tyson pulverized Trevor Berbick (50-11-1, 33 KOs) by a second-round TKO to fulfill his destiny.

“I knew I would,” said Tyson of becoming the youngest heavyweight titlist. “I knew it like I know Sunday follows Saturday. It had been drilled into my brain.”

Sadly, after an indomitable and menacing four-year reign as king, Tyson’s life absolutely plummeted.

Among a litany of nadirs, it is possible that Tyson’s worst moment came during his June 1997 rematch with Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield (43-10-2, 28 KOs).

After being ironically bullied by Holyfield, Tyson snapped and ate two pieces of “The Real Deal’s" ears.

“I despised him so much because I admired him so much,” Tyson said of Holyfield. “I wanted to kill him. I had been jealous of him from when we were kids. I’m a spoiled brat and things weren’t going my way. I wanted to hurt him. So I bit him. I was just a f***ing mess.”

Tyson was subsequently barred from the squared circle and he never became a genuine factor in the heavyweight division again.

Before he hung up his gloves, Tyson was defeated in three of his final four bouts.

Tyson’s retirement has not always been smooth.

“Iron Mike” was arrested for cocaine in 2007 and last May his four-year-old daughter, Exodus, was tragically killed in a bizarre accident on an exercise treadmill.

“I have a lot of pain and I don’t know how to let it go,” admitted Tyson, who Ring Magazine ranked as the 16th greatest puncher of all-time. “My whole life is out there. I’m naked, man.”

In the opening of the legendary novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.”

Beyond his physical prowess, Mike Tyson was born with essentially zero “advantages.”

Tyson has made horrible, horrible mistakes and he has hurt many people both inside and outside of the squared circle.

Nevertheless, where would many others be without “the advantages” they’ve been blessed with?

Perhaps, and quite likely, either dead or in prison.

Mike Tyson is not a saint and he’s not exactly a clergyman.

However, the way that he’s revitalized his existence demands respect and admiration.

Currently, excluding his sordid past, Mike Tyson is a relatively upstanding citizen.

So, “whenever you feel like criticizing” Tyson, “just remember that” he hasn’t “had the advantages that you’ve had.”