Mike Tyson has never been one to hold back, and in a recent exclusive interview with Ring Magazine, the former undisputed heavyweight champion made his feelings on the state of boxing crystal clear. The sport is in decline, he said, and he intends to do something about it.
The 60-year-old legend is now in the midst of his second Mike Tyson Invitational, an amateur boxing showcase held in Las Vegas and broadcast live on his YouTube channel. The event is the centerpiece of his ongoing effort to rebuild amateur boxing in the United States, a mission he has taken on with the same intensity that once made him the most feared fighter on the planet.
“We’re going to take amateur boxing to the next level,” Tyson told Ring Magazine. “And listen, they’re going to forget about trying to kick boxing out of the Olympics. We’re trying to make it the most popular sport in the Olympics. In 1984 it was.”
Tyson’s concern about boxing’s Olympic standing is not unfounded. The sport has faced ongoing scrutiny from the International Olympic Committee in recent years, raising questions about its long-term future at the Games. For Tyson, who rose to prominence through the amateur ranks, the prospect of boxing losing its Olympic status is personal.
His prescription for fixing the sport is straightforward. When asked what he would change first if he were the global president of boxing, he did not hesitate: “More competitive matches. Fighting more often. Four or five a year, definitely.”
It is a standard Tyson himself once set. During his rise, he reportedly had 15 matches in a single year, a level of activity nearly unheard of in today’s era.
Through the Mike Tyson Invitational, he is building a team of young boxers he believes can compete internationally, with plans to challenge amateur programs from Mexico, France, and others, including teams connected to Canelo Alvarez and Roberto Duran.
What separates Tyson’s approach from other celebrity boxing ventures is his insistence on removing financial barriers for the athletes.
“It’s all about the history of the kid,” he said. “Taking care of the kids, looking after them, making sure they don’t have to come out of their pockets for anything, because they’re the best boxers in the world. They just don’t have the resources to travel.”
Tyson acknowledged that no one shielded him from being taken advantage of during his own career, and that experience shapes how he operates now.
“We want to take care of the kid and make sure they’re not being taken advantage of,” he said.
