Mike Tyson: at the age of 13, participated in 150 street fights and was arrested 38 times.
The legendary Mike Tyson has revealed his early street fights, paving the way for his later successful boxing career.
Everyone knows Tyson as a “wild beast” in his youth, as he created many horrors on the streets of Brooklyn, New York, in the past.
Tyson was arrested numerous times during his youth.
“The Iron Mike” engaged in many illegal activities, leading to his arrest 38 times by the age of 13. Eventually, he was sent to a reform school, where the reckless young man discovered and embarked on his amateur boxing career.
Former boxer Bobby Stewart, an advisor at the Tryon School for Boys, discovered Tyson’s potential and sent him to renowned coach Cus D’Amato.
The meeting with D’Amato changed the fate of “Iron Mike”.
Nevertheless, Tyson’s first fighting lessons were on the streets. The 54-year-old boxer once stated on his podcast Hotboxin’: “I’m talking about fights that people don’t count like that. Some fighters have had 300 to 400 amateur fights. Pernell Whitaker had a lot of fights.
I had 60 fights [amateur], along with about 150 street fights. That’s why I didn’t do bad in the boxing ring. All we did in Brooklyn was fight, fight, and fight.”
Tyson reminisced about his past when he was very young.
Delving deeper into the chaos of pure street fights, Tyson explained, “Fighting is belief; it’s all based on consciousness. When you’re really fighting, you don’t know what you’re doing. It’s just a snap, and it happens.
It’s like a flow. When it flows, everything happens. You can get knocked out at any time. Sometimes, your consciousness leaves your body, and you feel like you’re flying.”
Notable facts about Mike Tyson:
Michael Gerard Tyson was born on June 30, 1966, in New York, USA. Besides his given name, he is often referred to as Iron Mike or The Baddest Man on the Planet.
Tyson has been married three times and has eight children. He competed as a professional heavyweight boxer from 1985 and officially retired in 2006. In his 58 bouts, Tyson won 50 fights (44 by knockout), lost 6 fights, and had 2 with no result. At the age of 20, Tyson became the youngest heavyweight world champion in history. During his peak, he held the WBC, WBA, IBF, and The Ring titles.
With his aggressive and dominating attacking style and solid punching ability with both hands, Tyson often ended his fights quickly by knocking out his opponents. This made him beloved and idolized by many, despite the controversies in Tyson’s personal life. It can be said that during his heyday, Tyson was the most captivating boxer of all time.
