We’re certainly used to this type of tone from the erratic Mike Tyson. What we’re not really accustomed to is Iron Mike directing his typical degrading language and vulgar insults toward himself. It would appear that the man who once considered himself to be untouchable — even after embarrassing himself against Evander Holyfield — is no longer overflowing with confidence.
Iron Mike recently sat down for an interview with Details Magazine that will appear in their August issue. He provided Details with the memorable material we’ve come to expect, while also giving us a glimpse into how his opinion of himself has changed since the passing of his 4-year-old daughter. Here’s some of Mike Tyson’s interview with Details Magazine, courtesy of Out of Bounds:
The first stage of my life was just a whole bunch of selfishness. Just a whole bunch of gifts to myself and people who didn’t necessarily deserve it. Now I’m 44, and I realize that my whole life is just a fucking waste. Greatest man on the planet? I wasn’t half the man I thought I was. So if there’s a big plan now, it’s just to give — it’s selflessness, caring for the people who deserve it. Because I think I’m a pig. I have this uncanny ability to look at myself in the mirror and say, “This is a pig. You are a f***ing piece of s***.”
“Objectively, I’m a pig. That’s why it’s very difficult for me when people are offering me all that adulation and love. I just feel dirty. These people want to hug me, they want to touch me, and I’m feeling like, “Get your f****** hands off me.” I feel that energy of theirs, and it’s just filth and murder. It’s not that they’re bad people necessarily; it’s just that they did something bad, and you can feel it on them. I have to go and wash up before I touch my own kids. And after I lost my 4-year-old daughter? All these people reached out and I realized: I just want to be of service to people. I need to help. I need to have something, finally, that I can offer people in this world.”
I wouldn’t hold your breath waiting for Tyson to become a service to society, but it’s obvious he’s been knocked down a few pegs over the last few years. As for feeling “filth and murder” on the people who touch him, I’m not really sure who he’s referring to so you can read into that one on your own. Oh and by the way, Iron Mike is now a hardcore vegan.
Sources:
Everything You Think You Know About Mike Tyson Is Wrong [Details]
Mike Tyson: ‘My life’s been a waste. I’m a piece of s***’ [Out of Bounds]
