Mike Tyson is ‘Scared’ of Who He Used to Be
Since Mike Tyson has been the star of The Mike Tyson Mysteries on Adult Swim, it’s become fairly common knowledge that he’s a big pigeon keeper; Norm Macdonald even plays a talking pigeon on the show. A less well-known fact is that Tyson’s love of pigeons is what lead him to become a boxer.
As a young boy he was somewhat troubled and reclusive, and his only friends were his pigeons. One day he discovered a kid killing one of his pigeons and he beat the absolute s**t out of the kid because he’s Mike Tyson and that resulted in the future champ being encouraged to start boxing.
On the one hand, that story makes people feel very empathetic for Tyson, and rightly so. We like animals, even pest animals like pigeons technically are, and dislike bullies. But it also hints at some serious anger issues, and the champ is well aware of those.
TMZ Sports reported that in an interview with Sugar Ray Leonard for Tyson’s Hotboxin’ podcast that Tyson is afraid of the person he used to be.
“I know the art of fighting, I know the art of war. That’s all I’ve ever studied. That’s why I’m so feared, that’s why they feared me when I was in the ring. I was an annihilator, that’s all I was born for,” Mike said.
“Now those days are gone. It’s empty, I’m nothing.” “I’m working on being the art of humbleness. That’s the reason I’m crying, ’cause I’m not that person no more, and I miss him.”
Tyson continued, “And, it’s not funny at all. It’s not cool like I’m a tough guy. It’s just that I hate that guy, I’m scared of him.”
Tyson seems almost cuddly in his appearances in the live-action segments of The Mike Tyson Mysteries and things like his guest spot on How I Met Your Mother. But he was a genuinely scary dude in a boxing ring and I understand why he doesn’t want to feel that way anymore.
