Mike Tyson gave an honest and shocking answer to a child reporter who asked him what he thinks his lasting legacy will be in his sport.
Ahead of a press conference for his Friday night fight on Netflix against boxer Jake Paul, Tyson was interviewed by child star Jazlyn Guerra who hosts “Jazzy’s World.”
While Guerra asked Tyson about his love for pigeons and what makes him happy, it was a question about his legacy that brought out a deep philosophical answer from the former heavyweight champion.
“You are setting a monumental opportunity for kids my age to see the legend Mike Tyson in the ring for the first time,” Guerra began.
“After such a successful career, what type of legacy would you like to leave behind when it’s all said and done?” she asked.
The young reporter may not have been ready for what Tyson was about to unleash.
“I don’t believe in the word legacy, I just think that’s another word for ‘ego.’ Legacy doesn’t mean nothing, that’s just some word everybody grabbed onto,” Tyson explained.
The 58-year-old then added that he doesn’t care about his legacy because he is going to die:
“It means absolutely nothing to me, I’m just passing through. I’m gonna die, and it’s going to be over. Who cares about a legacy after that?” he asked rhetorically.
14-year-old reporter Jazlyn Guerra hosts ‘Jazzy’s World,’ a YouTube channel with more than 700,000 subscribers.Photo by Dia Dipasupil/WireImage
Tyson continued, “What a big ego … so I’m [going to] die, I want people to think that I’m this, I’m great? No. We’re nothing, we’re dead, we’re dust. We’re absolutely nothing, our legacy is nothing.”
The 14-year-old, perhaps not expecting a lesson on the fragility of life, simply replied, “Well, thank you so much for sharing that.”
“That is something I have not heard before,” she noted.
The boxer wasn’t done with his teachings on the ego, however, and his further remarks certainly helped a clip from the interview go viral.
“Can you really imagine somebody saying, ‘I want my legacy to be this way’? You’re dead! Why do you want somebody … you think somebody really wants to think about you? I want people to think about me when I’m gone? Who the f*** cares about me when I’m gone?” Tyson prophesied.
The New York native did concede, however, that maybe his kids or grandchildren would care about him when he’s deceased.
Mike Tyson and Jake Paul face off before their November 15 fight on Netflix.Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images for Netflix © 2024
The young reporter handled Tyson’s blunt responses in stride and spoke to the boxer about suffering through adversity in rough areas of New York.
“Adversity is beautiful, I’m so happy I endured it,” Tyson told the teen. “Adversity makes the strong stronger and the weak weaker. Without adversity, we’re nobody. You have to be tested in life.”
As for his November 15 opponent, Tyson said it remains to be seen how seriously he takes the sport.
“I don’t think much of him, I think he’s very funny,” Tyson added.
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Fearless, Mike tyson, Jake paul, Boxing, Sports
