Mike Tyson Recalls Battering Children and Their Fathers: “They Were Crying”

Published 09/20/2021, 1:44 AM EDT

Back in his prime, Mike Tyson used to bully his in-ring opponents before crushing them down with vicious punches. It turned him into one of the most treacherous boxers of the time, who never shied from brawling with his rivals. This aggressive nature, however, came from his tragic childhood and poverty.

Tyson has had a rough lifestyle since childhood, which was surrounded by crime and violence. Hence, the legendary boxer had picked his bully nature long back, when he was merely 9 or 10. Mike Tyson always used to fight, sometimes with people that are way older than him. It even urged him to encounter his victims’ father.

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In a chat with ValuetainmentTV, ‘Iron’ Mike detailed some of those incidents and shocked several people with his insights.

“I must’ve had three or four [street] fights a day. From like age nine… I was 200lbs at age 12. I was fighting the kid, then fighting their fathers. They were crying, went home and got their father. Then I would fight the father,” said Mike Tyson.

Mike Tyson on his childhood: "I must've had three or four [street] fights a day. From like age nine… I was 200lbs at age 12. I was fighting the kid, then fighting their fathers. They were crying, went home and got their father. Then I would fight the father." [@ValuetainmentTV] pic.twitter.com/my9fw3dMox
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) September 19, 2021

Tyson has gone through several phases in his life and each has impacted him differently. When a young ‘Mike’ met CusD’Amatao, his entire life changed. Once a bully, Tyson became the youngest heavyweight world champion at 20, a feat that is still untouched. It brought him stardom and success, which turned Mike Tyson into a brashy loud mouth.

That said, a few in-ring losses humbled the champion before he retired in 2005. As of now, ‘Iron’ Mike remains the blueprint for success and controversy, and he is still one of the most celebrated athletes in the world.

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Mike Tyson – the other side of the bully

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Most people might remember Mike Tyson for his knockouts, trash-talking, or the ear-bite incident against Evander Holyfield. However, a part of ‘Iron’ Mike is devoted to social welfare and charitable works. Ending a hiatus of over a decade, the heavyweight legend returned to action at the age of 54 against Roy Jones Jr. last year.

Per reports, Tyson donated all of his paychecks from the Triller PPV to charitable trustees. Hence, the transition from a bully to a social worker has happened after years of grind, controversy, and bad experiences, which makes Mike Tyson’s life one of the rarest, and his stories certainly do stand out in the world of boxing.

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Do you think Mike Tyson is underrated as a boxing star or overrated?

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Written by:

A senior boxing writer at EssentiallySports, Raj Sarkar is a mass media graduate who is currently pursuing his master’s degree in broadcast journalism. In addition to his current role, he has worked with the MMA team at EssentiallySports and has interviewed prominent fighters such as Ritu Phogat and 'The Red King' Rory MacDonald. He combined his bachelor's degree with his adoration for combat sports and has a combined 2000 plus bylines in MMA and boxing over the last two years.

Mike Tyson Recalls Battering Children and Their Fathers: “They Were Crying”

Mike Tyson – the other side of the bully

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