Mike Tyson admits he believed he ‘was a demi-God’
During the early stages of his career, the future heavyweight champion of the world was so confident in his ability he believed himself to be a god
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Mike Tyson has admitted that he struggled to control his ego in the early stages of his hugely successful boxing career, admitting that he used to believe he was “a demi-God”.
Tyson, 53, is regarded as one of the greatest heavyweights in the history of boxing.
He became the first heavyweight to hold the WBA, WBC and IBF belts and later became the lineal champion.
And, on his ‘Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson’ podcast with the rapper Eminem, Tyson said that his trainer and mentor Cus D’Amato had helped boost his ego and self-worth after a difficult start in life.
“He never told me I was a n*****, that I was never going to make it, and he always said I was superior to everybody,” Tyson said.
“He never put doubt in my mind that I was f----- up, even though I believed that. In my mind, I was a demi-God.”
Tyson has been in a reflective mood recently and last week concerned his fans by admitting that he is “looking forward” to his own death.
“From my experience, from what I believe, the more I know about not existing, the more willing I am to die,” he told The Sportsman.
“Yeah [I look forward to it], I don’t fear it. Living might be more complicated than dying to me... because living takes a lot of courage.
“Without the courage, you can’t handle living. Living is a journey; living is a struggle. People have everything and they still can’t do it, they struggle.
“We take ourselves too seriously; we think we’re somebody. Who the f***, we’re nothing! We come from s***; we think we’re special [but] fame is s***.
“You find out you’re not [special]. You’re capable of going to jail, you’re capable of dying, you’re capable of being mistreated.
“I don’t really expect bad things to happen to me, but when they do happen to me, I understand it and I’m able to handle it. I’ve handled bad stuff before, that’s been my life. I don’t trip over bad things, I know s*** happens. When bad things happen, I will be still striving to do something. I won’t be discouraged.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments