Legendary boxer Mike Tyson opened up about his complex feelings toward the sport that made him famous in a recent podcast.
“I have a love-hate relationship with boxing,” Tyson admitted. “You got to work for it. It gives you no quarter. You got to put everything in it.”
The former heavyweight champion described the grueling physical and mental toll of training for a fight:
“When I’m putting in that work and I can’t go home and my wife can’t touch me – stop, leave me alone, don’t touch me. And I’m like that and sometimes my wife is in the room I’m like [that] because I’m in pain, I’m suffering. What the f*ck am I doing this s*it? I promised myself I wouldn’t do this to myself, my body, my family again. But I put myself in that.”
Tyson explained that he dislikes the person he becomes during fight camp, saying “I don’t like that guy too much” because “that guy don’t give a f*ck about nobody’s feelings.”
Despite the hardships, Tyson still feels drawn to boxing. At 58 years old, he’s preparing for a high-profile bout against Jake Paul on November 15. Tyson sees it as “the biggest fight of my life,” noting the irony of peaking so late in his career.
The interview revealed Tyson’s continued passion for boxing, even as he grapples with its physical and emotional costs. His candid remarks offer a glimpse into the mindset of one of the sport’s most iconic figures as he embarks on this latest challenge.
