“Just wanted to experience god…” Mike Tyson reveals how fights in prison changed life forever
Before the Jake Paul fight, Mike Tyson revealed how prison fights and the urge to cling to religious beliefs helped change his life.
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Mike Tyson reveals how prison and prayer helped change his fight psychology and life (Source: X)
As the youngest, best, and yet the “Baddest” and most violent to do it, many feel Mike Tyson has no business returning. He’s 58 years old, and he shows that he doesn’t need the money. So why is Mike Tyson going ahead against 27-year-old Jake Paul? Even when incarcerated, the boxer kept to his demeanor in prison. Now, the boxer gives his mentality about it all.
In 1992, Tyson was convicted of rap* and sentenced to six years imprisonment. After serving three years, he got out on parole. He made a series of comeback fights and snagged the WBA and WBC titles in 1996. The post-prison phase gives him his notoriety. However, his time in prison helped him get in touch with his inner “Tyson.”
You know, they [were] showing me respect but I was a jerk. I was…yeah, I was a jerk. I, I was and then I had to realize after going through the hole you know…fight with the guards…going the hole. I understand it has to be a better, that the way it added more time to my sin. So I learned how to move, how to respect everybody…[by holding on to beliefs and Islamism] I just wanted to experience, um…a form of God. I’m so happy I did that.
Mike Tyson for ‘ALL THE SMOKE FIGHT’ (@ATSFight) | THE ART OF WARD
The boxer even merited an extra year in prison due to his unhinged behavior at first. While prison posed its danger, lashing out at everybody earned Mike Tyson some perks of being a bad one. However, it was reverting to God that helped him get through. It also helped him understand the fight grind better and not just lash out for the sake of violence itself.
Tyson has stated that he was a convert to Islam before his imprisonment and made no effort to correct media reports. However, there were pseudo reports that he converted while incarcerated and adopted the Muslim name Malik Abdul Aziz. After coming out, the legendary boxer would gain notoriety beyond that of a heavyweight icon.
Risk part of motivation for Jake Paul fight, says Mike Tyson
Tyson, 58, will face Jake Paul (10-1) on November 15 at AT&T Stadium. The pair were originally to fight in July, but the bout was postponed. Tyson, on the bench for weeks after an ulcer flareup, attended Cage Wars 67 recently.
He talked about his Jake Paul fight while ringside with his son Amir at Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady, NY. He says Paul floating a $40m windfall or any other financial motive isn’t why he is returning to it. Mike Tyson believes the risk to perform would be his ultimate motivation.
The fact that he shouldn’t do something or that it could be dangerous means he should overcome it evermore. That has been part of Tyson’s fight psychology. He has been brawling in front of a crowd since he was 14. Hence, he proves he can do it again. As a hail mary, he also requested the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations to officially have it as a pro-sanction.
Tyson has been out of action since an exhibition fight with Roy Jones Jr. in November 2020. He says it’s hard to work, but he is making strides in camp. Tyson even recently updated some snippets on it. But the thrill of finding out that he can still do it and is the same ‘Kid Dynamite’ is what keeps Mike Tyson going.
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