‘I feel empty’ – Mike Tyson breaks down as he recalls active boxing days

Former boxer, Mike Tyson has opened up on how retiring from boxing has left him feeling  “empty”. The boxer who retired 15 years ago revealed that his turbulent past made him miss the sport that brought him fame and wealth. 

In an interview with another heavyweight legend, ‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard, Tyson spoke extensively on how he transitioned from being the most feared fighter on the planet to focusing on the “the art of humbleness”.

Tyson said, “I know the art of fighting, I know the art of war. That’s all I’ve ever studied. That’s why I’m so feared, that’s why they feared me when I was in the ring. I was an annihilator, that’s all I was born for.

“Now those days are gone. It’s empty, I’m nothing,” Tyson said emotionally.

“I’m working on being the art of humbleness. That’s the reason I’m crying, ’cause I’m not that person no more, and I miss him.”

Tyson, who made his professional debut at the age of 18 years old, maintains the record as the youngest heavyweight boxer ever. He is considered one of the greatest of all time and he is the third-longest unified championship reign in heavyweight history at eight consecutive defenses.

He won his first 19 professional fights by knockout, 12 of them in the first round.

Despite his glittering career, Tyson was hit hard in 1991 after he was convicted of raping former beauty pageant contestant Desiree Washington in a hotel room – this was at the peak of his career. 

After the judicial process, he was found guilty and sentenced to six years in prison. He served three years before he was released on parole. Prior to that, his wife, actress Robin Givens, in an interview in 1988, disclosed that she was a victim of spousal abuse.

After his retirement in 2005, Tyson was occasionally caught on the wrong side of the law. 

Notwithstanding, the boxer is currently cashing in on the marijuana business.  The 53-year-old, at the moment, sells around $500,000 worth of cannabis each month, he said on his Hotboxin’ podcast.

The former heavyweight champion further disclosed that he smokes $40,000 worth of pot every month, around ten tons of weed at his 420-acre ranch in California called Tyson Ranch which accommodated cannabis-friendly hotels and a golf course.

Tyson currently ranks No. 15 in BoxRec’s ranking of the greatest heavyweight boxers in history.

After his induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame, Sky Sports described him as “perhaps the most ferocious fighter to step into a professional ring”. He has been inducted into the Now, Mike Tyson says he is afraid of the person he was.