‘Iron Mike’ opens up on sexual abuse as a child
Boxing legend Mike Tyson says being snatched off the street and sexually molested as a child made him ‘‘tough for the world I lived in’’.
One of the most feared men in the history of the sport, Tyson had a troubled upbringing in Brooklyn, New York, before going on to become the youngest boxer to win the world heavyweight title at 20.
While much is known about his rough childhood, which included involvement in petty crime and regular stints at reformatory schools, he has revealed even grimmer details about what he went through at a young age.
Speaking to ESPN’s Jeremy Schapp, Tyson reluctantly described how he was ‘‘snatched off the street’’ by an old man when he was just seven before being bullied and sexually abused.
‘‘I was molested as a child,’’ 51-year-old Tyson said. ‘‘It was noone’s business to know, people just don’t talk about it because to some people they believe it’s demasculating them. I learned that it doesn’t make you any less of a man because it happened.
‘‘It made me have to be tough for the world I lived in.’’
It is not the first time the man known as ‘‘Iron Mike’’ during his boxing days has spoken about the abuse. Tyson first revealed that he had been molested when speaking on a SiriusXM radio show in 2014, saying how he eventually managed to escape and noting that it had been a one-off incident.
‘‘I was a little kid...[he was an] old man. [He] bullied me, sexually abused me and stuff. Never seen him again. I just went on with my life ... I don’t always remember, but maybe I do but I don’t. I’m not ashamed or embarrassed by it.’’
Born in 1966, Tyson revealed in his 2013 autobiography that never knew his biological father and the man he thought was that person was not a consistent presence in his life.
He became involved in crime at the age of seven, becoming a well known child to police, and by 12 had turned into a ‘‘zonked out zombie’’.
Although he became famous once he became world champion, defending the titles nine times,
Tyson did still have his troubles outside the ring. In 1992 he was convicted of rape and sentenced to six years in prison, eventually serving half that term, while in 1997 he was disqualified and later banned for biting the ear of Evander Holyfield in a world title bout.