Tyson living a different life this time around

We just couldn’t let this stuff go …

By his estimation, Mike Tyson shed about 100 pounds for his nostalgia-filled return to the boxing ring Saturday night. It was not even close to the most significant transformation the former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world underwent in the 15 years since he last fought professionally, writes Gene Wang of The Washington Post.

Back then, Tyson’s career and personal life were careening off the rails. He was fighting for financial reasons. His heart, Tyson has said repeatedly, just was not in it anymore.

The sport that brought him stardom and adulation, not to mention millions of dollars, was becoming secondary, almost a nuisance, interfering with a drug habit.

Which makes the present day version of the former “Baddest Man on the Planet” all the more striking.

He spends much of his time at home with his third wife, Kiki, and his children. He ruminates on how to help the underserved through his various charities, several of which, Tyson said, are receiving a boost from proceeds of Saturday’s pay-per-view exhibition match against Roy Jones Jr. in Los Angeles that ended in a draw.

The notion that Tyson, 54, would live to become a humanitarian and family man was unthinkable during his turbulent first act.

“I’m capable of helping a lot of people less fortunate than myself — that’s what I’m capable of doing, all over the world,” Tyson said during his post-fight news conference. “In a perfect world, I’m a missionary, in a perfect world. What I’m doing in the ring, I realize, is a gift not only for myself.

“Before it was all about me and the hot chick and the nice car and plane and the boats. It doesn’t do it for me anymore, so I want another way. I help somebody else, I guess, right, because I don’t get into that no more. I like my pigeons and my fancy clothes, but other than that I don’t want anything. I have a life.”