‘Iron Mike’ is one of the greatest heavyweight boxers to ever grace the ring. At just 20 years old, he made history by capturing heavyweight gold against Trevor Berbick. For Tyson, it was a crowning moment that nobody saw coming, having just started his professional career less than two years prior.
However, one has to wonder if he would’ve had much success in the ring without his upbringing. Anyone who knows Tyson’s stories about his youth knows that his life was filled with violence and instability. Raised in Brownsville, Brooklyn, his father walked out on him when he was born.
As a result, Lorna Tyson was left to raise Mike Tyson and three other children. In 1982, she was tragically diagnosed with late-stage cancer, passing away that year. In an interview with ClubShayShay, the boxer explained how his mother’s passing was a good thing for him.
In a 2020 interview, Tyson stated:
“You know, one of the best things that ever happened to me is that my mother died. Because my mother would have ‘babied’ me. There’s no way I would ever got into a street fight. No way I would ever learn to stand up for myself.”
Mike Tyson opens up on relationship with his mother
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While Mike Tyson believes his mother’s passing could’ve been a good thing professionally, it was crushing personally.
‘Iron Mike’ became heavyweight champion just four years after the passing of his mother. After Lorna’s passing, Tyson was eventually adopted by legendary trainer Cus D’Amoto. Over the following years, the trainer molded him into an all-time great.
However, in a 2010 interview with BleacherReport, Mike Tyson discussed his upbringing in depth. There, the boxer stated that he honestly didn’t really get to know his mother and that it was extremely crushed.
Furthermore, he didn’t feel like his mother really knew him much either. Well, she knew that Tyson was always causing trouble, but that was it. In the interview, he stated:
“I never saw my mother happy with me and proud of me for doing something. She only knew me as being a wild kid running the streets, coming home with new clothes that she knew I didn’t pay for. I never got a chance to talk to her or know about her. Professionally, it has no effect, but it’s crushing emotionally and personally.”