US retired pro-boxer Mike Tyson arrives to fight the heavyweight boxing bout against US YouTuber/boxer Jake Paul at The Pavilion at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, November 15, 2024 Mike Tyson was asked by a young girl during an interview what he thought his legacy would be, ahead of his fight with YouTuber Jake Paul on Saturday, and his response was quite bizarre. Picture: Timothy A. Clary/AFP
Image: Timothy A. Clary/AFP
WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE IN THIS STORY
A new video has surfaced of Mike Tyson speaking about his nihilistic view of the world.
Tyson was asked by a young girl during an interview what he thought his legacy would be, ahead of his fight with YouTuber Jake Paul on Saturday.
‘Iron Mike’ Tyson is undeniably one of the best heavyweight boxers of all time, but that was at the turn of the century, with the prime of his career coming during the mid ‘90s.
Instead of the usual cliches thrown out, Tyson opted to share his views of life, and death and why he believed legacies meant nothing.
“I don’t know. I don’t believe in the word legacy. That’s just another word to boost your ego. It’s a word that everyone grabbed onto, and is used every five seconds. To me, it means absolutely nothing. I’m just passing through. I’m going to die, and it’s going to be over. Who cares about legacy after that?” Said Tyson in the interview on Combat Sports UK on Facebook which had 2.2 million plays.
“We’re nothing, we’re dust. Our legacy is nothing.
“Can you really imagine someone say they want their legacy to be this way .. You’re dead. You really think people are going to think about you? I want people to think about me when I’m gone? Who the fuck cares about me when I’m gone?”
The 58-year-old Tyson went on to lose to Paul by scores of 80-72, 79-73, and 79-73 with the fight streamed live on Netflix.
The YouTube star Paul was faster an more efficient as Tyson was a shadow of his former self which was one of the most brutal and feared fighters around the turn of the century.
The fight though, was marred by streaming giant Netflix unable to handle the vast number of viewers tuning into the bout as many, particularly in South Africa, battling to watch at all as the event couldn’t load.