Mike Tyson Breaks Down In Tears Reflecting On How He's Changed

Mike Tyson was reduced to tears while reflecting on the man he used to be and how he's changed.

The former heavyweight boxing champion struggled to hold himself together while speaking with fellow legend of the sport Sugar Ray Leonard on his Hotboxin' podcast.

In the candid heart-to-heart, the 53-year-old seemed to suggest he missed being the 'annihilator' of his boxing heyday, yet he also seemed fearful of the return of his former self.

He said: "I know all the warriors. From Charlemagne to Achilles - the number one warrior of all warriors - and then Alexander and Napoleon, I know them all. I read about them all. I know the art of fighting, I know the art of war. That's all I've ever studied. That's why I'm so feared, that's why they feared me when I was in the ring. I was an annihilator, that's all I was born for. Now those days are gone, it's empty, I'm nothing.

"I'm working on being the art of humbleness [sic]. That's the reason I'm crying, 'cause I'm not that person no more, and I miss him. Sometimes I feel like a b**ch because I don't want that person to come out ... 'cause if he comes out hell is coming with him. And, it's not funny at all. It's not cool like I'm a tough guy. It's just that I hate that guy, I'm scared of him.

"That guy's kind of dead now... but that wasn't easy. That guy didn't want to leave. He wasn't leaving easy. He fought, screamed and cried and scratched all the way until he died, you know?"

Not sure I do know actually Tyson, but it certainly made for intense viewing.

Iron Mike remains the youngest fighter to ever win a world heavyweight title, having beaten 33-year-old Trevor Berbick in 1986, when he was just 20-years-old.

He was convicted of rape in 1992 and served just under three years of his original six year sentence, spending just over four years out of the ring.

He now sells an array of cannabis products through his company Tyson Ranch.

Topics: Mike Tyson, World News, Boxing

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey