Up Close With Roy Firestone (Mike Tyson)

I remember after the fight you didn't even know you had lost. Now I was pretty much forgotten that I don't know what's going on. It's true? You asked John Horhn, your manager, one of your co-managers, what round did I knock him out in? on I thought so, of course, I thought I knocked him out, but on Johnson, no microphone, laugh, you don't know what happened here, relax afterwards, no, no, I'm fine, nothing, no, Mike, just relax for a minute , great, 2008 and I told you what happened. and when he told you how you felt what the hell it would be another day I interviewed you seven eight times and I remember you said I lose, I die, they would have to kill me to make me lose in the ring.

I remember you said well, I fight, I can't fight anymore, yes, I mean it was a situation like that that happened, you got hurt, but I firmly believe that if you fight and fight until the end, you know me and you won't be. I'm afraid some guy is going to get hit hard and they're not going to go to bed because they don't want to get beat up. A real fight to take the beating from him like a man because anything could happen. What are you afraid of these days? Do you fear something in the future?

It sounds these days, well, I feel afraid because it's adrenaline. Your hearts are boiling and you are so psyched. Your imagination is playing so many absurd tricks on you. The guy gets a lot bigger, he gets a lot better faster. Everything he does is so much better. that you and then when you are in, you finally demand as if you are going to arms and legs and your Asian pepper you put it here and from your past performance you know why I am the best fighter in the world and this is my domain. it's just that I refuse to believe this they want to beat me are you worried that doubt has crept into your psyche any doubt anywhere I know you said you never lost confidence but is there somewhere in your psyche that Mike doubts I always have doubts because um Without a doubt, a person who is assured in his position and I mean there is a is in the disposition loses his security because you cannot, you cannot go into a situation with one hundred percent security because then you leave things open, you leave things open. for the mistakes because he totally cured everything you don't expect anything clear you are totally assured that everything so you think in your mind this is nice when security is not necessary because so doubting is a good thing not doubting is beautiful and doubting yourself Oh, yes, for Of course, I have some doubt about myself, yes and fear, because you said fear.

You once told me that fear is my friend. UCS has to be aware of your situation and when people say there is no one to fight for. I know that as long as the reproduction would never have the slightest doubt in the back of your mind and that led them to act at the appeal level because those are chances that people can beat me, but it didn't seem like you had much doubt against it. Holyfield the first fight seemed like you are a point guard. I'll tell you what I thought. I thought you wanted to knock him out with the first hit.

Why try it? I mean, it was my mistake to believe a lot of newspaper clippings, but what the hell! I will fight the night. I would read his respectful way of fighting. I'm glad I got this opportunity and we'll see if he's really a big boy now and what would happen if you lost? What if you left? I can conceive myself. looking losing, they have to pass it to me, they even comment on it, are you sure, yes, the eye of the tiger, do you have the eye of the tiger? Well I don't necessarily know what it means for the meaning I know I want to win that's having any of the tigers yeah sure everyone wants to win everyone goes in there with I had a tiger with even the tiger loses even the tiger is defeated.

The tiger gets frustrated, I mean, he fought with all his heart, he didn't win, but you showed your heart. big heart, that's what we have, that's what fighters have, that's why we are family, we show our heart, our determination, we did it to shed our blood, that's what we are there for, we didn't lose our blood and that's what we be. Do we have a state of mind only with the soul? That's what we have that way. We are there for anything else. We are in the wrong business. We think we used to look good and win fans.

Know definitively that we are there to suffer. You're there to die, he said, you never believed he was the fight before, you never dreamed he was the fighter, he was the incredible counterpuncher, that's how you counterpunch a counterpuncher, well, I'm going to be pretty. um, I'm pretty updated next time. I'm not afraid to tell you that I am a man. I'm not afraid to give credit where credit is due, but I was just humming. I know any idea of ​​fighting too. Mike Tyson has been incarcerated or in a reformatory for part of his young life, including three years in federal prison for rape, but eight years ago he told us it wasn't likely to happen again.

Larry Holmes said last year about a year ago, right before your fight with him, that he had no doubt that you would go back to jail for the last six months with all that, the slapping incidents, the late-night fights, the alleged tirades with Robin, the unpleasant altercations with the television cameras. Do you think you were ever in danger of going back to prison? How your real life tested you in ways that boxing couldn't because I'm dealing with the inside. I am completely in control of the situation. just a certain amount of restraint because I have discipline, you mean you have control in the ring, it's something that you are prepared for your training once a month and then you go in and it's like a diagram, everything is written out. and you have any plan to make outside, just unexpected, so the enemy is constantly lurking and you don't know what is going to happen day to day.

Ethical, count the fewer your blessings because they don't really promise you that anything can happen tomorrow. two Mike Tyson clearly maybe more than you imagine maybe we are all different people at different particular times in our lives that certain things can cause us to act in a certain way being a different individual you couldn't deal with someone who is very hostile in the la way you are dealing with me now you have to deal with them in a different way if you had an appetite for confrontation of course you would be disciplined, deal with them totally different, how do you take the past, make it work for the present and be better. for the future as we learn from our mistakes in the past and hopefully we won't repeat them in the future, basically you know you get into little trouble here and there but then you think about it if someone took a magnifying glass and you have penetrated into you and looked at every little thing and every little thing you did, people are sure to find some dirt and make something out of this unit.

I can't get over the fact of who I am, I just enjoy being myself, do you feel like your life has been a success? I don't know if Konami was obviously a success in boxing. Clearly, monetarily, you can't ask for more, but do you feel like your life has been a success? It depends on how you define success. define I don't know maybe just be happy with your son I wish my mother was alive to see my custom Otto was allowed to see me I'm in a couple of my friends were dead and are no longer with us they are probably incarcerated for the rest of Life is always

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Do you think you are a good person? I think I'm amazing because most people just behave, you know, a lot of days they know what people want to hear. I want to say everything. I love God and God is ruled out, you know, I mean, we're not perfect and if we were perfect, God would get rid of all of us and put an imperfect people into service, you know me because that's part of growing up, that's how it is become richer your height your height your highest level of understanding by making these mistakes and the path for you will not make them in the future what are you proud of the things you said?

You feel like you are an incredibly good person, what are you most proud of about Mike Tyson? So maybe we'll never admit it to the extent that I'm a stubborn guy and I talked about it, but I'm always considerate with humility because I always know that feeling that the people who later imprisoned me just got it because no one cared, no one gave me loved and I always feel an affinity with those people because I was one of those people and probably still AM, you know me only because of my status people know who I am but I miss, uh, I miss having a

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relationship, those people and people say why did he spend money because not the whole family was homeless and I remember that situation and it's just look at me, anyone if they could. do it I think I can make it I was on the streets my whole life I could make it Anyone can make it That's why I was hanging around this neighborhood I tell these kids Listen man Hang out Touch me man You know I can't give you just one big word I can't hug everyone but see if I can do it you don't have to be a boxer just work your ass off to go to school with us it's become kind of an asset you have the altitude after two but no yeah I don't think you can add a younger age, you could do whatever you wanted, what would you have done differently?

There are some obvious things we know, but generally speaking, what would you say you wish you could do again? again I wish I was better in the peace of mind of the child with my parents I was simply not a good obedient child yes, we are very law for yourselves very rebellious and I did not have it is just a hungry child the night when you are hungry you have no respect for the law of civilization thirty or human life I was just listening I come from a neighborhood the worst the worst you are the more praise you receive and in fact these days yes the reality I never know where I come from the more crimes you committed the more Pat you put on your back, not from how many helps you brought home when they patted you on the back, that's all.

I'm here to fight. I guess they pay you, give people their money's worth. and you go home you feel alone, yes, more or less, what do you feel alone about? I feel like I should be in our room on the streets, you know, as a humble person, I have always done a business, it's funny because you know, I mean when you are in a professional business you know that you have obligations and I'm saying before it's like you're selling your soul to hell you know me like you want to get out of this but you can't in the furet these I'm still a young guy to feel like that, that's it, it's nice, you know, that's something we're going to hear at an advanced stage of the career , but it's funny because I think that's healthy, oh my gosh, I forgot.

He wants to be in the game for a long time. Who knows, we know the devil is on our shoulder, but you know I won't do anything. I won't do what you tell me to do. I'm not going to go and then drop that guy to kill that person right now, that's great. I felt good. although you can stay a long time I know you're here, it's great, Raging Bull, why did you identify with Jake LaMotta and De Niro's portrayal of Jake LaMotta? Very simply, you know he comes from that type of background and they just abandon him most of the time.

Sometime in your life you know you think you have a friend who really talks behind your back because you see if he would have talked about other people when they talk when they see a hey how are you Joe it's good to see and enjoy such a bombshell. Wasn't he such an idiot? He will make a decision with a girl and you know what they say about you. You know that whenever there is a moment with the spirit, they are never there for good times. Instead, here are some monetary reasons. They have the internal owner. reasons and we always say, "It's just frustrating this and this means he's angry and frustrated, everyone just wants to be successful and be successful and let them know that you're not lazy and that you're someone special and very isolated from that." movie so well it is one of the books that are on your nightstand and the book is called The Maverick Mentality and the subtext says the journey from fear to freedom why are you attracted to that book?

I thought it was an interesting book and it was a gift from someone and it stood up. I read a bunch of subnautica from the book and it was interesting and the person who told me about it said I would think I would find that book and it's interesting and it was pretty interesting but what? Does that mean the journey from fear to freedom for you personally? I felt overcome in situations that you think could not be overcome. So if I take your people, there are so many different variations you can take, but I would say this. that I am the one that you never tied yourself down, that you never cross yourself because of a fear factor and out of fear, to overcome your fears by simply crossing it and conquering and it is not only necessary to conquer in it because sometimes normally it is simply no, it is inconceivable most of the things that we fear and that we never really conquer like God is inconceivable, we don't see them but we believe in them and just to cross the barriers of the form of freedom I'm going to tell you something that sometimes it is critical to succeed the camera is a kind of Narcotic is like a drug once you see yourself on TV you say wow I should have said dad we get along so much better I should have looked more at this side I saw a better side of me you know?

It is believing that it is a drug, yes, maybe not, it is not handled properly, you could lose your mind. I just watched a press conference interview with you and you got angry. I'll tell you what the question was, the question was Mike Tyson, it came so easily. everything was a home run in your career, you got it and I know why you got angry because youIt bothered me that people didn't respect your fight. Listen, I can't even go on telling you about the situations I've been through in my life. I mean, someone sees this article.

I'll tell them, please, come pick me up. You know me, but the fact. It's that you know that they don't understand, they understand my life, they will understand the entire chemistry of my existence, I mean, who I am or what I am, they believe that it reached the DNA itself, see the finished product 50 million here 100 million so that they can see, they don't see anything. Yes the guy who actually came from the worst social circumstances in life and yeah, eventually I don't even know how I understand it, bothering good people, Bobby. Stewart cus D'Amato some good people who reject Jimmy didn't listen, they had listened I was 12 years old.

Can you really think that anyone could actually see any city in year 12 maybe because they couldn't, but I was 12 and this? One guy blogged his life story with a 12 year old who was up to no good when I first got there and you know it would have been wonderful if he could have seen my accomplishment. I mean, I know. I'm not stupid, I know, Vinci, I achieved a lot and I know who I am. I know that I can go around making decisions and people make me angry. I can say, well, okay, make a phone call by the building and kick people, listen, that's not what I mean about the people you know, other people are just humble people, common people, I'm not a fish fat, I try not to change this month, where it is very difficult, but the people who were my friends before are still my friends and the people like I said I don't like I didn't like before I still don't like them nothing has changed what would you like?

People who are cynical or skeptical about you know about you, I know, maybe it's not important what they know, but what would you like them to know about you? I wish they could know if they aren't smart enough to be my friends. The truth is, not much is known about Mike Tyson outside of the ring. We know what it is. He had a tragic life losing his mother, his sister, his guardian and his first manager. We know that he grew up on the streets of Brownsville, New York, but little or nothing is known about Mike Tyson, the person we are trying to discover.

I'm Mike. Tyson, I'm labeled as a dangerous guy, bad guy, but when he was in Boston, no one really noticed. When I was going through this extensive test, I really realized that I know why I'm doing this test and they don't. I don't understand why one day while the doctor was saying that they were afraid of hurting someone, he is an inner ring and not the ring and I was shocked. I told him: What happens to someone who hurts me? Does anyone care about me? being hurt, the only one who cares about Mike, they look at me like he's some monster I have.

I am cold as a stone, I have no emotions, but maybe I project myself to be like that because that is my defense mechanism, but in reality I am very fragile. and that's why I get so upset because I'm fragile it immediately hurts when you look at Mike, does he seem aimless to you? Well, Mike Tyson has always looked for a hero. It's hard to find a hero when you have a million dollars because you don't know how to look you look for other people with two million dollars if you have ten you look for someone with twenty if you have a hundred you look for someone with 200 million hard-to-find heroes should find a hero who Should you find someone you can look to for some kind of mentor, now you'll have to be your own hero.

I'm sure I haven't had hair my whole life. No, I, never, never, if I am, have had a masculine figure. my life until I met because you know well that we didn't have heroes, do you remember the movie Raging Bull, yes, there is that scene with Jake LaMotta. I think it really happened, but it was in the Robert De Niro movie when Jake LaMotta starts banging his head against it. wall why why why why why wasn't I pregnant yeah, did you ever feel like that? I'm too sophisticated to do that, you know, it's just that I'm looking and things were just happening after, well, listen, I screwed it up, this happened and we dealt with it. with them you know that I am the custo D'Amato taught me how to be with a strong self and I am strong and I mean, and there is nothing that can break my spirit from that perspective, nothing will keep me going that will never get my Don't kneel before anyone and adore them and say I'm sorry.

I kiss anyone's ass. What would a man who says yes be? The only man who can beat me. You want ed to be me. fight I've never been anything today in my life when I'm corrupt all my life although you have to give me fitteth in another capacity that means what you only think you only think you were disappointed in what you wanted to be in that ring, listen to me, actually, if I don't go to the Boxing Hall of Fame to get my credentials, they shouldn't be a Boxing Hall of Fame. I don't need anyone anyway, you know me, regardless of letting Eagle go to school, that can sound I really think I don't need anyone.

I can handle things on my own even if sometimes you have to shorten the stick. Basically I think I don't need anyone. What makes your heart light up. Yes, see my daughter say. something new oh yeah, my daughter Mike calls me on the phone and sister and I said what else do you have to tell me. I have to go. I have to talk to Johnny. I take care of some bills. What if you have to tell me? Oh I love it. you love yourself too thank you dad and i know it's great i think it's great it could keep you active all day long oh that's something do you like being a dad? oh yeah that's pretty amazing how does it humble you? um, I hate that you have to get up and when you hit a crying baby and you have to push yourself to sleep with the baby, uh, you sleep a little at night once in a while we do, yeah, now maybe it wasn't your mother, I thought, yes. here they can't take it from diapers what do you want for your children you know all my children they have the opportunity to have a good life if I was the opportunity to have a good life I um better than me I don't know I just want to hope that they become into good people and survive their lives.

Nothing because it's difficult. You know, it will be new for me. I never dealt with kids who were in that particular situation, kids who weren't. I don't even have to worry about going to the best schools if they have the right ingenuity to get there and it's something very different, new for me too. I don't know anything about that kind of thing. A Scholastic link line. All those things. With you something is so new that you have to make sure you get into the best school before it says what happens. I'm the public fool, but no, they have to go to a private school, but I get the best education, you know, man, it comes.

I know it's interesting, Mike, you become conservative over the years, you become a guy who has become quite a suspicious and suspicious person about the world around you and you want to protect your children from all that. You know you have to do it because I'm, you know when. Do you think about when people say well, I want my son to grow up like me, we're lucky, I'm lucky, my son may not be lucky to survive what I survive, my daughter may not be lucky to say goodbye to me, I don't want them to. do. Be crazy radicals, you know, I don't want you to say, well, we're going to fight for this because I want to say yes, sir, no sir, and yes, I went to school and I know people that you weren't like that, but yes.

It's not like I know that my friend may be down on his luck and be on the streets doing business, no, I'm so happy that they are in this financial situation and that they are listened to well, that they have a grandfather that cares about them and that they have a mother who is bright and intelligent and knows all the proper way to take care of children and I had I had an alcoholic mother and I have the father who was a pimp or hustler on the streets you know me I don't know if that will make you a better person than me, but I hope the message gives you a better life than the one I had.

Not a fan of sports outside of boxing? Do you know why you don't like other sports? I was just familiar with other sports or it was boxing. I've been boxing since I was 12 so I didn't have enough opportunity to choose, you know, choose and play sports because when I lived in Brooklyn I never played sports, remember you told me I'm not an athlete, I'm nothing special, nice Nam, no, what I said is that I'm not my title, she was a wife and wouldn't be my fan I guess. I wouldn't be your fan. I wonder why not.

I wouldn't deal with them. I know it's very difficult. I would just like to wait for that whole situation to go as far as my life is concerned because sometimes I am. Once is where. God, I'm so strange, sometimes I'm an overwhelming individual, I mean, and how much, yeah, and some time it's going to be overwhelming and sometimes I think I even feel aggressive with myself again sometimes like that and that's why sometimes it was just a moment to complicate the issue of the deal why why I mean because I think that deep down they are truer the real person is that person who wants to do good but feels that he has to do evil in order to maintain that image medicine Mike Tyson I'm not medicine, I mean, on the contrary, I'm pretty.

I'm considering loving my kids and my wife, but the fact is that's not realistic, no one is really white, no one is perfect, and I just don't want to. be put in that category, I mean, I could sometimes I'm angry, I'll fight, I'll hit someone or something, someone bothers me to the point where I feel threatened for my life, my children, I'll hit someone and I can do it. Worse than that, but the fact is that I am here surviving and he will take care of my children. Mike Tyson, a student of boxing and warriors, is part of sports history and fascinated by world history.

Alexander the Great. Kettner is, you know what? In fact, he was with the boy and he took care of most of it and it became known. Did you read? Did you read everything? You were able to get everything. You know he was gay. Did you know that I live? I don't know anything about that, I'm just telling you how you know. Never anything about being good, but listen, cut, you kicked a lot, this gay guy kicked a lot of ass, that's not what you like most about it, that he hated it, they don't care what he did, he got the job done.

What interests me most is not why someone is doing something, but what would cause them to do it. I mean, like you see a guy climbing the mountain. I'm interested in that, but I'd watch it to find out what would make this guy want to climb that mountain. Why what is the purpose of climbing this mountain? Mount Everest. Why do you want to scale this? And you know there's a chance you won't be able to come back. down and you know the history of climbing this mountain, that 90% of the people, if not more, died climbing this mountain, why would you want to do it?

So why do you climb the mountain? Why do you get on that ring? I want to know why can't anyone really talk? I could tell you right because I love it and I've been doing it my whole life and sometimes it's like um no, it's like a clock that keeps ticking another story about the elephant, did you? the chain in this on his leg around the post and he keeps going around a post he didn't take the chain off and he doesn't know the chains and he keeps going around the post a lot tonight he's thinking about a habit but that's sad that's just habit oh that's not that's not true that's not true the habit is repetitive what is repetitive is done out of consideration and desire I'm crying man, I cried so many times and I can't cry anymore. angry, I pray, I am a curse, I am in quotes, the Quran, you did it, there are different verbals here, but it's just me, I mean, I get angry and I'm not like laughter, and I mean, I love my children, I can to get it. angry at them someone angry at my wife sometimes I'm just human you know I mean just a regular guy I can't imagine anyone being jealous of me they won in my life a lot of people could if they had committed suicide They have my life has to do this, come on, accept the offers of hats, now look at this, that little bald spot that is from worry, I told you that stress is from stress, how do you know?

Because you told me you were right, it's because of the stress and then that started from the Bonecrusher Smith, my doctor told me that's what you want people to remember most about you as a fighter, but more importantly as a man, yeah, I mean , I was a little worried about what someone thought of me, that's how I live my life. I mean, I live my life. I can't, you know? It means it's up to people to basically have their opinion on what they think about me. I can't say well, you think I'm a good guy and I can't go around and get it.

He surgery What do you think of me? What do you think you know? What the hell am I living my life?