Legendary Boxer Mike Tyson Makes Jaw-Dropping Revelation About Death of His Mother

Legendary Boxer Mike Tyson Makes Jaw-Dropping Revelation About Death of His Mother

Rene Otinga
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:56 PM
  • Tyson has in the past admitted to not having a solid relationship with his late mother Lorna Smith Tyson
  • The 55-year old opened up about his mother’s death recently, saying it helped propel him to success in boxing
  • Lorna passed away from cancer when Mike Tyson was only 16 years, and the boxer was taken up by his trainer Cus D’Amato

Boxing legend Mike Tyson recently sensationally claimed that the death of his mother was ‘one of the best things to ever happen to him’.

The legendary boxer was only 16 when his mother Lorna Smith Tyson passed away from cancer. Her passing incidentally came three years before Tyson became a professional boxer.

He has always been quite open about his upbringing in Brooklyn, New York, and revealed in the past that he never knew his biological father, while his stepdad abandoned them when he was just two in Brownsville.

Mike Tyson
Legendary boxer Mike Tyson never knew who his biological father was. Photo by Phillip Faraone.
Source: Getty Images

In a recent interview with Shannon Sharpe on the Club Shay Shay, the 55-year old divulged on his teenage years, and how the passing of his mother helped him toughen up to be able to cope with the mean streets of New York at the time.

According to Tyson, things would probably have gone a lot different for him if his mother was still around, and he would not have gone on to become a champion, especially so early into his career.

“One of the best things that ever happened to me is that my mother died. My mother would have babied me.
There is no way I would have ever got into a street fight, no way I ever would have learned to stand up for myself.” He said.

Troubled child

Prior to his mother’s death, Tyson had gotten into a lot of trouble and had been arrested on multiple occasions before the age of 14.

It was during these times that the retired boxer claims he learnt what it takes to become a heavyweight champion.

After his mother’s death, Tyson was left in the custody of boxing trainer Cus D’Amato.

Cus passed away in 1985, just as Tyson found a breakthrough into the boxing scene.

Professionally, Tyson went on to become the youngest heavyweight champion in history at just 20-years-old.

In no time, he had established himself as one of the most feared boxers in the world.

Mike Tyson vs Donald Trump

Earlier, Sports Brief reported of another interesting tale involving Mike Tyson and Donald Trump.

In 1988, Mike Tyson angrily confronted Trump over an alleged affair with his ex-wife Robin Givens to whom he was married to for a year.

It is however unclear what Donald Trump’s response was, although the two seem to have buried the hatched, and Tyson even backed Trump’s presidential bid.

Authors
Rene Otinga photo
Rene Otinga
Rene Otinga is a sports journalist with over eight years of working experience in digital media. Rene's experience includes working as a Copywriter at X News Kenya and TUKO.co.ke.
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