The former two-time heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, 56, is a big American success story. The champ started his boxing journey as a 12-year-old kid and channelized the wrath in the right direction to become the youngest heavyweight champion ever. He was the first to unify WBA, WBC and IBF titles in the heavyweight division and kept them simultaneously for years.

However, before becoming the household name, Tyson had a very troubled past. He was in and out of juvenile court a number of times before he turned 12. But Tyson believed that the occurrence of these events played an important role in developing the fundamentals of the art of boxing inside him.

Recently, in an episode of ‘Hotboxin’, ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ narrated his childhood memories in front of his new guest, Angie Martinez, a renowned radio personality. However, she could not relate because her upbringing was quite different from Tyson’s.

Tyson said, “I didn’t want to stay on the fence. When I was 12 [started boxing]. I had a great criminal career until I was twelve. I lost my, I left my street wrapped at 12.”

Earlier, Tyson documented his childhood past in a similar pattern, but in a more detailed form. He told, “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.”

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It was everyday drama till Tyson discovered his interest in boxing that gave an escape route to a powerful angry kid to earn something instead of engaging in everyday street fights.

Why did Mike Tyson have such a horrendous childhood?

‘Kid Dynamite’ was born in Brooklyn, New York on June 30, 1966. His father left him when he was not even two years old. This had a profound effect on his childhood, as his mother was always busy bearing the responsibility for the family.

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So Tyson was free to spend the early years of his life in a high-crime neighborhood. He was even part of a gang that indulge in everyday chaos. Per reports, he was arrested 38 times, by the age of 13.

However, later he met the former boxer Bobby Stewart, who played an important role in reshaping his further life. He introduced Tyson to boxing. A little fast forward, he found a father in his boxing coach Cus D’Amato, who later legally adopted a younger Tyson.

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What do you think of Tyson’s childhood? Let us know in the comments below.