Mike Tyson on Fighting Floyd, Jake Paul Defeat, Tyson vs AJ & Donald Trump

- When you watched it yourself, did you think at the end, how the hell am I still here? - Well, I wonder, no, why was this so important? I think massive success follows me. - What is that feeling like when the bell goes and you're getting into a fight with somebody? - It's almost a gazmic. - Is it really? Do you think you'll ever be tempted back in the ring or not? - I like to fight Floyd though. - Would you? - If you didn't know who Donald Trump was, you didn't know his name, you'd think you'd black. He's not a pussy president. - It looks to me like you're quite emotional just thinking about that. - Be me. Be the greatest of them, shit. - I am Mike Tyson, has led an explosive life of both triumph and tragedy, a world heavyweight champion. At just 20 years old, he was the king of the ring and the most feared man on planet Earth. I wasn't surprised to discover that Netflix has turned his extraordinary story into a big budget docky series. I'm just not sure how they fitted it into just four episodes. Well, Mike Tyson joins me live and uncensored. Mike, how are you? - Hey, man, long time, long time. I think he's beautiful. - Do you know what? I've interviewed you a number of times, as you know. We got to know each other pretty well. And I found a picture, which I have on my dressing room wall. I don't know if you can see this, Mike, but it's you and I the last time we physically met. It was in California. And it's a picture that you had framed in your office there. And if a Mike, Frank Finatra quote, "The best revenge is massive success." And you had that framed and fined by the great man, Sinatra. And when I watched your Netflix series, that was my overarching thing, is that for all the difficult stuff you've been through, actually, you've always come through it and your best revenge has always been massive success. Do you see that about your life? - You know, I think massive success follows me. I just think it does. I don't think it does it for a good reason or bad reason. It's just what it is, it's what I always wanted. You know, my mentor, Custwell, he told me to be careful what you wish for. You might get it. (laughing) - Yeah. Well, he comes through in the series, obviously, is a highly significant figure in your life. And what I was going to ask you about Custwell's, how often do you think about him in your normal life? Do you think about him a lot? - I think about him every day. - Yeah. What do you think when you think about him? - I would like to ask him, how did I do? - What do you think he'd say? - I wasn't perfect. He always said that wasn't perfect. He said I'm close, but you're not perfect. - Would he be, do you think, I mean, I would imagine, I never knew him sadly, but I would imagine he'd be incredibly proud of the person you've become. - I would like to believe that as well. I would love to have him meet my children. - Yeah. For those who didn't know Custwell, what kind of man was he? - Wow, so I'd explain him. He's everything you want, pretty much a life. He's what I really needed to, and he's the man that really kicked my butt. - 'Cause you were, what, 15 when you first met him? - No, 12, 13, 13. - 13, so you're incredibly young guy. You've talked about him being a father figure, a mentor, but he also understood, I think, in you, and this comes through in the series, that he understood you had the potential to be the most ferocious, unbeatable fighter in the world. He saw that in you. How important was that for you in terms of getting there? - That was extremely, yeah, that was extremely important. I needed that behind me, and he's the man that believed in me. - He, I want to play, actually to team this up, I want to play a little bit from the trailer, 'cause it's a great trailer. Obviously no one's seen this a series yet. - Let's watch the trailer, and I got a question off the back of it. - I was in that bag then, huh? - You think I give a damn about you and you all on there? I don't care if I live in a diet. I'm a dysfunctional mother. - I don't trust anybody in general. I don't like people to know me at all. - The things that he's gone through, most people would have just been dead. - Yeah, this is the dark side of me. That's just who I became, the dick that the chaos. - Why? - Because it was, why, I don't know. He's making it difficult for me now. (dramatic music) - The liberation. Excruising me. Well, that put myself to this poor shit. - It's a fantastic trailer, and if you actually watch the series, as I've done, it's a fantastic life. I mean, it's a hell of a rollercoaster ride. When you watched it yourself, did you think at the end, how the hell am I still here? - I just, I wonder why I wasn't so important for that title. Why was that shit so important back then? - What do you mean, Mike? - Be me. Being the greatest of them shit. - Have you had a chance to think about why it was so important to you? - Well, I don't know, I think because they had nothing else. How they found. - Yeah, what the hell was so important for? - I mean, I don't want to answer for you, but could it be that you had such a tough upbringing? So traumatic in many ways, so tough in many ways, that actually reaching the pinnacle of boxing, being the greatest in the world, at the time felt like a validation for you. - It was all ego, it was all ego. - Could you have got there, Mike, without the ego? - No way, no way. - When you think about Young Mike Tyson, I met you, I've discussed this before, but I met you at a concert in Albany. It was an MC Hammer concert. - Oh, really? - Yeah, and it was the first time I met you. And it was, I had like a nice chat with you for about five, 10 minutes backstage, actually. And I just remember at the time, although you were very nice to me and very charming, and very decent to give me a bit of time, and it was the first time I interviewed you, but there was around you an aura, a menace, a sort of intimidatory vibe, which you exuded, which I think you enjoyed, because you wanted to scare people, right? You wanted to be, as Kuss called you, the baddest man on the planet. That was how you were gonna get to the top. - Well, listen, I didn't want to fear people, make people afraid of me, I wanted them to respect me. - Yeah. - There's a moment when, to me, the absolute defining moment of your career, you might totally disagree. But the moment of your boxing career that I always look at is the moment when you fight Michael Spinks. And he's also a heavyweight champion of the world at the time. He was unbeaten, he'd never lost a fight. And as you walk together at the start before the bell goes, he just, you can see, shrinks away, it was nerves. He does not want to fight you. And you just look at him in a way that it just sinks him on arrival. The fight is all over in two minutes, you destroy him. He never fights again. It's an extraordinary moment. How pivotal was that to you, do you think, in your career? - Well, it was pretty big, it was a moment in my career. It was a really big moment in my career, you know? It's just, I wanted those guys to have, I have to be the best all the time, because I have such a low self-esteem, so I have to be the best. - Was that the best win of your career? - No, no, I don't think so. Maybe as far as some status is concerned, yes, but I don't think so. I think, raise the rudder. - Raise the rudder, yeah. - For those who've never been in a rig, Mike, and you have many, many times, what is that feeling like? When the bell goes and you're getting into a fight with somebody, what is the actual feeling you experience? - I could say this one, I could say on this television. - Yeah, absolutely. - Yeah. - All right, it's almost like a cosmic. - Is it really? - Yeah. - Go on, explain it in more detail. - You know, when the bell goes down, it just explodes. It's an explosion before the contact. Is it a good experience? Is it feel good? Or does it feel? - I think it's very serious. - Yeah. - Could it feel good? It's just, what I want to say, it's just objective. It doesn't have a feeling. - What was the, I know how hard you've hit people, but what was the hardest you got hit in your career? Who hit you guys? - I've been hit the hardest by everybody. I can't judge the pain, pain is pain. Who would you least want to be punched by again? Sure, I don't want to get by grudding, I don't want to get by hold up, I don't want to get by nobody. Yeah, I don't want to get by nobody. Was there one who stood out? Just thinking, just thinking about my head started. I can't even, I've only been hit about three times in my life, and it bloody hurt, so I'm just, but there wasn't one when you look back where you think, "Wow, that guy, he hit me." I'd listen, they hit our limits, they all hit hard, trust me. Yeah, once they hit you, you never figure out who the artist. I mean, you famously said, everyone's got a plan to get punched in the face. It's an immortal quote of yours. Do you think that that is the test, really, of anyone, that you never really know who's going to win a fight until those first punches go in? Exactly, Dean, no, didn't sometimes the guy that lost that fight turned out to become a world champion. And so you really think, here and being, think they know, they think we have experience, but they don't. I can remember, before we're burdened, the man said, no mask, right? Yeah. If you quit, nobody talked to you again. You never came back in boxing. You're finished. And the man came back in one two titles. Yeah. So that's, so that's, so that, um, that superstition in boxing is not true now. If you quit, you're losing. That's not true. Thanks to the thread. Right. Because he was an astonishingly courageous fighter and everyone was struggling. Absolutely, but he didn't know much through the ruin. Yeah. And then he came back in one two titles. They need to be Davey Moore. And then he'd be, um, Davey Moore's friend too. Yeah. In the, in the series, my, um, one of the more significant people in your life is your wife, Kiki, who I've had the pleasure of meeting several times. And you've been together a long time now. How important has she been to getting you to perhaps to a calmer place in, in life? That's interesting. Where you were important to your team, you know, we're together. I guess I maybe I'm not calm. I'm just who I am, you know, we're, we're team fighting together in this world. Do you, do you feel calmer as you've turned 60? I'm 61. I probably feel a bit calmer, if I'm honest. No, I got more vigor and fire. But is it a different kind of fire? In other words, it's not a violent fire now. It's a, but can you channel the energy better? I bet, you know, both ways, I try both ways. You know what I mean? If it's not violent, it can't block their fire. Sometimes you have to deal with the thought of violence without reacting to violence. Do you, as you care about your normal life, Mike? I've always been curious about this. Do people just try and go to you into fighting them? Is that just a staple part of your existence that. Not as much now, not as much now. Does it ever happen? When I was younger, when I was younger. Yeah. How did, how did you deal with that? I attacked them. I didn't do well. What would happen if someone did that now? No, listen, I'm not, I'm not starting no more check. I gave up on that. They could see whatever they want. Do you think you'll fight again in the ring or not? Hey, if someone wants to see me fight and they have the right price, you know, you can do it. When you, when you took on Jake Paul, what did you, now you think back on that fight? What did you feel about it? I'll say to myself, I woke up the next morning, I was so sore, I said, "What the hell would I do that for?" As the first time I told my wife that they, "What the hell I do that for? What am I having my mind?" I mean, the answer I presume is money, isn't it? I don't know. We would have been fine without it, but we're better than now, but we did fine with that, all that ego stuff. I don't know why it's definitely still hanging around. But do you think you'll, do you think you'll ever be tempted back in the ring or not? I don't think so, I don't think so. I like to fight Floyd though. Would you? Mm-hmm. Really? Well, why? I don't know. It's just to fight. You want to fight too. That would be amazing. I think so. Have you had proper discussions about it? Well, I saw him out one day, we hugged each other, but he's the way to be both one, but we want to do. We talked to him. Who would win, mate? You know, I'm going to beat his ass. I mean, do it. You're a bigger guy. Would it be a fair fight? I'm going to do a lot of sprints. I'm doing sprints now and be ready to catch you. Well, you think I'm doing all these things? People laughing at me when I'm doing these sprints, but you think I'm doing all these sprints, but I catch this motherfucker. See, are you serious about this? Yeah. That would be incredible. You and Floyd made with it. Yeah, I can't wait. I mean, he would have age and speed, I guess. You would have. No, I'm getting this straight. I'm going to catch this little ass if I'm doing this. But get that running. You got to sprints to catch him, man. Give me 10, 20 miles. Get the sprints down and catch this little motherfucker. All right. Well, I would pay to watch that without any doubt. What do you make of the. We've got Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua finally fighting. Is it too late? Are you excited about that? Where is the fight at? No, it's not too late, but where is the fight located at? It's going to be in the UK in Cardiff. Listen, why would they try to have it in New York for some reason? That's why I told them to be in New York. Why would they have it in New York? I think Dana White wanted it in New York, but it's been wrestled away. No, I know that English people ain't let that happen. No, it would have made no sense. But who's your money on it when they fight those two? I'm always the Tyson. Tyson's name has to come. Yeah, you think he's going to beat Joshua? Well, it would be nice, right? What do you. These promoters who've been getting into spats with each other, Eddie Hurn, Dana White and so on. You obviously had a long-standing relationship with Dom King. He's now 95. It's still going incredibly, but you've had good times with him, bad times with him. What do you make of the promoters in the fight game? Are they a force for good generally? Bokinus changed with the promoters. They changed. The fighters are not happy with them for some reason. Fighters should just have a manager. That's what he should have. A manager and a trainer. That's all he needs. Excuse me, he needs a lawyer and a trainer. That's all the fighting needs. Forget all that entourage and all that stuff. A trainer and a lawyer. What do you think of Eddie Hurn? As a person? Yeah. I like him. Yeah. I don't know whether it's a promoter, but the person I like him. And Dana White? You like Dana White? You know I love Dana, yes. And what are your feelings about Dom King these days? Hey, man. I wish him the best. That's all. Wish him the best. Life is beautiful. Another figure in the documentary, and actually he was the guy that put on the Michael Spinx fight, is Donald Trump. Now President Trump, you've known him for long. You've known him 35, 40 years. And that's something. Can you believe he's become President twice from the guy that you can't? You can't. Why can't? Because I've got that voted for him. I ran the streets for him. You know, to get involved. Yeah, I believe it. What do you think of Trump? I'm very proud of him. He's somebody that everybody should be proud of for where he came from. He started off bankrupt. You know when he went for president, he's bankrupt, you know that, right? Yeah. Yo, the deal taxes, you know, so much money. Listen, if you didn't know who Donald Trump was, and you didn't know his name, you would think he's black. How much stuff? All his sex abuse and all that stuff that he went through. People don't normally go to that well. They don't have another breakdown. He handled it. And that's why everyone has to respect him just in that alone. Just in the way he handled his court procedure. And on and then firstly, you got to respect down. Can't behave with guts. You know, race, I don't care what it is. If we have to respect that, just off the back. Do you talk to him, Trump? He's going to strike me what's going on. He wants me to go somewhere with him. I mean, it is remarkable to think that he was putting on a fight for you at Atlantic City. And now he's in the Oval Office running the country. He's a very polarizing character, as you know. You know, I remember when he got shot and the guy hit him on the ear and he was miraculously he survived, even though somebody behind him was killed, the way that Trump responded to being nearly assassinated, that showed real balls of steel, I thought. When he got back up and went fight, fight, fight, fight. I think it won in the last election that moment, actually. Because it's so-- No, it's a pussy. You need to have a pussy better than it. Yeah. But what do you feel when he goes like, I mean, obviously you've done a bit of this in your life, you know, fights and stuff. Do you think the trash talking helps him or hurts him? Listen, from the history of life, the trash talkers are the ones that are remembered. Okay, but you're not saying that you're not remembered, okay? What do you feel about the kind of cancel culture we have started to live in, where people feel afraid? I don't think that's-- it's not-- it's not-- it's not going to last long. It won't survive. I mean, no one could cancel you, could they? It just won't-- people won't tolerate it. that it is possible life. - You know, when I was writing Mike, first as a show business journalist in the '90s, there were three big superstar mics. It was Mike Tyson, Michael Jordan, Michael Jackson. And Michael Jackson, obviously sadly no longer with us, you and Michael Jordan still going great guns. And you and Michael Jordan are gonna be two of the most iconic sporting figures in the history of this planet. - Do you see parallels with you and Michael Jordan? - Yes, we both want to be the best to ever live in what we did. - Do you think you were the best boxers that's ever lived? - Wow, let me say this. I'm the most glorious fighter that ever lived. - Is that the same as best? - No. - So who would your suggestion be for the best? - Muhammad Ali. - And why see the best? - Because he is Ali. - See, I think Ali was incredible, but he did lose three times at least. I mean, he won the title back three times. You know, I think peak Ali, the peak Tyson, who wins that fight? 'Cause you were the most gracious I've ever seen. - I know, but Ali knew how to handle monsters. You, the animal came up. - Do you think he'd have handled you? - It was been a good one, but I think I'll leave the best. - Mike, when you watched the series and you finished and you sat back, what did you feel about your life in total when you looked back on it all? - That was just, that was the moment in time. That's all that time was the moment in time. They'd probably do another one, something may happen, spectacular my life for the good or the bad. They may say they want to do a documentary on that. It's just, I don't know, it's just what it is. - Are you proud of yourself, Mike? - Proud of myself? - Yeah. I never, I never ranked myself before like that. So human being and my proud of myself, what it might have be proud of. - Well, I would argue that where you came from and the kind of young man you were through necessity to get to where you are now. - I'm proud like, yes, I'm proud I came from Brownville and everybody knows I'm from Brownville, yes, 100%. - Are you happy now? - Happy? - Yeah. - What does that mean happy, civilized? - No, not civilized because I think you can be happy and be still out of wild streak in here. I just wonder whether you feel happy, whether you feel content at the stage of your life. - Oh, no, I think, I think I'm grateful but I think I still have that stuff in my stomach. - And what do you do about it, Mike? When it bubbles up, how do you handle it now? - I normally work out. - Do you? - Yeah, I work out. And I write them, but we write, we're thinking about doing a movie, writing down a movie. That's what we do now, me and my wife, we think about doing plays and stuff. - Your relationship with Kiki is a wonderful one. Have you learned what true love is about with her? - True love is right, what true love is about? - Yeah. - True love starts when we get tied, making love with each other. Then it's time just true love happens. Now we gotta take care of each other, let's take care of the baby, let's take care of the house. Everything is a couple of responsibilities now. That's true love, taking care of people that you have to take care of. That's what I believe true love is. - And is Kiki the love of your life, when you think about your life? - Hey, my life, she's the only woman in my life. But I mean, in your whole life, in 60 years, is she the one when you think about it, that actually you found the right person? - Yes, I did find the right person. As of now, she's the best person in my life. Yes, I never found somebody better than her. Yes, hopefully I don't have to. - What kind of father are you? - Me, wow, I'm right to the point. - In what way? - My kids will never have to worry about me should be cool with anything. - So you give it to them straight? - Great. - One of your sons Amir assigned with misfits boxing and he's gonna fight, how do you feel about that? - I feel he should do what he wants to do. I respect that about him. That's what he wants to do. - How do you think you'll feel watching your own son fighting? - Pretty objective. - In what way? - Because I don't want to see him lose or get beat up, but this is something that he had to do and have to face. And there's something that I think it was good from the ones to do that. People should challenge themselves. - When you were in prison, Mike, a lot of interesting people kind of busy you. Whitney Houston was one, two pack was another. They both obviously died very young. Recently there was finally a conviction of murder for Dwayne Keithy D. Davis. And he's been convicted 30 years after two packs death. - What did you feel with him? - The most time is time did they give him? - I don't know actually, what are they given? - I have no idea. - What do you feel about the fact that there's finally been a conviction there for your friends murder? - It's long overdue. - Long overdue. - When you look at what happened to two pack, to Whitney, to Michael Jackson, you survived, you know, and you said, you say I think in the series, death is just another part of life you've never experienced yet. - We weren't like that. - You know, how do you feel about the fact you're still here? You're healthy, you're relatively happy, I think, comparative to earlier parts of your life. How do you feel about that? - I don't know. I think sometimes maybe I'm lived too long. - Really? - You know, a lot of people I love is not here anymore. - Yeah. What do you think happens to you when you die? Do you fear it? Do you look forward to it? - No, I don't, I don't, I don't know about fear in that. I am not afraid of it. You know, from that perspective, I know it's gonna happen and it's nothing I can do but embrace it. - Do you believe in God? Are you religious, man? - I believe in God, yes. I'm God, yes, I do believe in God. - Funny. - I don't think, I don't think God think it's God, if he's gonna send somebody to hell, if he sends, why wouldn't he send me to hell? You know, man, I don't think God had favorites, you know? - Well, I don't think he sent you to hell because even though you came from a hellish environment, you made a massive successival cell back to the Frank Sinatra. - I know, but listen, there's so many other people that was massive success but they weren't good people. All successful people, all great people are not good people. That's not, that's not, that's what you can't claim because I'm successful, I'm gonna go to hell with it. That's not true, you can be a successful social path. - But do you think you're a good person, Mike? Underneath everything? - I think I'm good, I think I'm a decent human being, yes. - Yeah, I don't think I'm good. - I do, in all the time I've known you, that's what I've always felt about you, that yes, you've had the life you've had. But essentially, you're a good decent person. - I just, I just like being me, that's all. I've become comfortable being me over the years and like. - Well, there is nobody else like you, I'm Mike Tyson, is always a pleasure, always a pleasure. - You know, I hear you talking, I think about Terry Wogan for some reason. (laughing) - That is the amazing compliment. I love Terry Wogan, but I know his son was. - I did too, I did too, he's my man. (laughing) - My man, that's my man, man. - You know, whenever I see you, Mike, we always get on great. We couldn't come from more different background sort of thing, but I've always been a massive admirer of you in the life that you've come to all this stuff and here you are. Watching the series, it may be feel great, that here you are. - Thank you. - And it's great to have you on Uncensored, and you're welcome anytime back on the show, please. - Thank you, you're a bless brother. - Take care, Mike, all the best. (upbeat music) - Peace Wogan Uncensored is proudly independent. The only boss around here is me. We enjoy our show, we also own you one simple thing. Hit subscribe on YouTube and follow Peace Wogan Uncensored on Spotify and Apple Podcast. And in return, we will continue our mission to inform, irritate and entertain. And we'll do it all for free. Independent Uncensored media has never been more critical and we couldn't do it without you.