Mike Tyson, the former undisputed world heavyweight champion boxer, appears to be a different guy than he was during his two-decade dominance in the sport, and he claims it isn’t only his age.
This Saturday, however, the great fighter will return to the ring for an exhibition contest against former champion Roy Jones Jr. He’s spent months practicing for this fight, and despite his reputation, he says he’s “eager” and “extremely” worried about it.
“I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t nervous,” Tyson, 54, told “Nightline” co-anchor Byron Pitts. “You don’t participate in anything this exciting without nerves, but that also catapults you to the next level of participation.”
Although it will be an exhibition battle, Tyson believes anything can happen in the ring once the two guys start trading punches.
Tyson stated that there is an unwritten clause in their contract that allows for death during training and combat. “I’ve saw it happen. So that’s a big risk that we hope doesn’t happen, but it does happen in sports.
The event will be part of Tyson’s new project, the “Legends Only League,” which will allow retired athletes to participate again. He cites stories of former NFL wide receiver Jerry Rice as inspiration for his “second chance at glory.”
“Just ask anybody who they would prefer see play, Jerry Rice or the guy who is playing his position right now on a team that he played with, and they will tell you that they want to see Jerry Rice,” Tyson explained. “So, just because he’s a few seconds late for the greatest time, he can’t participate?”
Tyson’s current project follows his retirement from professional boxing in 2005. However, his turbulent history would continue to haunt him.
Tyson grew up in Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood, where he was exposed to violence and poverty from an early age. With an estranged father and an alcoholic mother, he had over 30 arrests before the age of 12.
He later met Hall of Fame trainer and boxing manager Constantine “Cus” D’Amato, who helped him develop into a professional boxer. Tyson defeated Trevor Berbick in 1986, making him the youngest heavyweight champion in history at the age of 20.
