Mike Tyson – the ‘baddest man on the planet’ – was not immune to the crippling fear which consumes most boxers before a fight, his former sparring partner has revealed.
For most of the 1980s, Tyson was the most feared man on the planet, and in his prime he was one of the greatest boxers to ever live.
His intimidating and ferocious style earned him the nickname the ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’, and the 53-year-old recently revealed he was willing to die in the ring.
But Joe Egan, his former sparring partner, insists that Tyson was always afraid before a fight, just like any human would be.
Egan told The Sun: “Mike in the dressing room used to go through horrible emotions of fear. And like Cus used to say to us, ‘There’s a very fine line between the coward and the hero.’
“And that walk to the ring and the waiting around before you get into the ring is very daunting for any fighter. I can tell you myself.
“Once the bell goes to fight, the fear leaves you because it’s time to fight. But the build up, the walk to the cage or ring, it’s very, very emotional for a person because you have all sorts of thoughts going in your head.
“You don’t think about losing. You don’t want to let yourself down. You want to give a good performance. If you give your best and you lose, then you’ve given your best.
“And the emotions that go throw your head, Mike was the same. He’d say to me after a fight, ‘Did I do enough? Have I done enough? Has my opponent done more?’
“Mike’s a human being, he’s not a machine. He had the same emotions that his opponent had. What Mike had over his opponents is the fact he had a fear factor because he carried all the invincibility into the ring because of his power.”