Marijuana investor and tennis-parent Mike Tyson loves Nietzsche, Norman Mailer
He loves reading philosophy and history, a taste he acquired from his mentor Cus D’Amato.
By Akshay Sawai, ET Bureau |
Agencies
Boxing icon and cannabis investor Mike Tyson tells ETPanache why he is turning over a new leaf with leaf. And also about the stuff his fans got high on — his legendary fights.
“How are you brother? ” Mike Tyson says in a hoarse whisper. His handshake feels as if a crocodile grabbed your arm.
Tyson is 5'10" but huge, with a head big as a bucket and feet cased in size 15 New Balance sneakers. He is seated in an armchair in an opulent room in a Mumbai hotel. He could be a version of Lalbaugcha Raja. Sponsors and managers surround the 52-year-old. You can guess who is who by their body language. The hosts own Tyson for the day and move around him with ease. The various managers — lower in the hierarchy in the suite — are on their toes, flitting in and out, grabbing nervous cigarette breaks, arguing with bosses in whispers and keeping a close watch on media interviews.
ETPanache gets a leisurely 100 seconds with Tyson. It’s about as long as his ferocious 91-second knockout of Michael Spinks in 1988, one of his finest performances.
“That was a good fight,” Tyson says from behind his Maori tattoo. (Ironically, Spinks did much better than Tyson post-career, in terms of money and health.)
Due to time constraints Tyson speaks in short sentences. Years of physical punishment, drugs, alcohol, supplements and medication — including for depression — have aged the great boxer and exconvict. His natural lisp makes him sound slurred. But he is eloquent, his language a mix of perceptive observations — “Many Indians restaurants have an antiquated look”, he once said — to casual phrases like “oh man” and “a bunch of stuff”.
Tyson’s highbrow reading habits perhaps have something to do with it. He loves reading philosophy and history, a taste he acquired from his mentor Cus D’Amato and writer Norman Mailer. “Nietzsche is my favourite,” Tyson once wrote. “I don’t really do any light reading, just deep, deep stuff.”
There is no time to ask deep questions here. A nd quick questions can be interesting too. So we ask, in a career of great fights, which is Tyson’s favourite fight? “Trevor Berbick,” he says. “1986.” “Yeah.”
Tyson was 20 then, Berbick 32. The contest was over in the second round. Tyson landed a left hook on Berbick’s forehead, which was so destructive that a disoriented Berbick fell each of the three times he tried to get back on his feet. Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in history. He still holds the record. He also got $1.5 million, a lot less than the $20 million paydays that he commanded later, but still a lot of money.
What was the first thing that he bought with the cash?
“I don’t know, man,” he says, throwing his head back. “A house, a bunch of Rolls Royces and stuff. I spent a lot of money.”
He called himself the baddest man on the planet then. Now he harbours no malevolence. Not on most days.
“Oh man, I’m a tennis parent [his nine-year-old daughter Milan is a junior player]. Mostly I’m a parent. [But] I get a chance to go out every now and then.”
It’s been a long time since he hit someone. He did throw a punch in 'The Hangover', but that was all acting. He enjoys being on camera. What he doesn’t like is the tedium of the movie-making process.
“You have so many parts that you have to do over and over and over again,” he says, making a circular motion with his hand. “Plus a lot of waitin’.”
Tyson — who was in Mumbai to launch an event organised by Mohamed Ali Budhwani — recently got into the marijuana business. He feels the substance should be made legal. “Absolutely,” he says. “It’s so funny. There are places, like Dubai, where liquor is legal but not marijuana, a harmless substance.”
The meeting is over. Another interviewer hurries in. “You have a minute-and-a-half, pal,” the journalist is told by Tyson’s manager.
Had Michael Spinks been around, he might have said, “So did I."
Three-time Wimbledon champ Boris Becker was declared bankrupt at a hearing in London on Wednesday. His attorneys had sought a one-month extension at the hearing, but Registrar Christine Derrett cited that there was no credible evidence to show that the German would be able to repay the “substantial” debt that dates back to October 2015.
He is not the only one to have gone bust. There are other legends from the sports arena who have had to face similar music.
“How are you brother? ” Mike Tyson says in a hoarse whisper. His handshake feels as if a crocodile grabbed your arm.
Tyson is 5'10" but huge, with a head big as a bucket and feet cased in size 15 New Balance sneakers. He is seated in an armchair in an opulent room in a Mumbai hotel. He could be a version of Lalbaugcha Raja. Sponsors and managers surround the 52-year-old. You can guess who is who by their body language. The hosts own Tyson for the day and move around him with ease. The various managers — lower in the hierarchy in the suite — are on their toes, flitting in and out, grabbing nervous cigarette breaks, arguing with bosses in whispers and keeping a close watch on media interviews.
ETPanache gets a leisurely 100 seconds with Tyson. It’s about as long as his ferocious 91-second knockout of Michael Spinks in 1988, one of his finest performances.
“That was a good fight,” Tyson says from behind his Maori tattoo. (Ironically, Spinks did much better than Tyson post-career, in terms of money and health.)
ADVERTISEMENT
Due to time constraints Tyson speaks in short sentences. Years of physical punishment, drugs, alcohol, supplements and medication — including for depression — have aged the great boxer and exconvict. His natural lisp makes him sound slurred. But he is eloquent, his language a mix of perceptive observations — “Many Indians restaurants have an antiquated look”, he once said — to casual phrases like “oh man” and “a bunch of stuff”.
Tyson’s highbrow reading habits perhaps have something to do with it. He loves reading philosophy and history, a taste he acquired from his mentor Cus D’Amato and writer Norman Mailer. “Nietzsche is my favourite,” Tyson once wrote. “I don’t really do any light reading, just deep, deep stuff.”
There is no time to ask deep questions here. A nd quick questions can be interesting too. So we ask, in a career of great fights, which is Tyson’s favourite fight? “Trevor Berbick,” he says. “1986.” “Yeah.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Tyson was 20 then, Berbick 32. The contest was over in the second round. Tyson landed a left hook on Berbick’s forehead, which was so destructive that a disoriented Berbick fell each of the three times he tried to get back on his feet. Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in history. He still holds the record. He also got $1.5 million, a lot less than the $20 million paydays that he commanded later, but still a lot of money.
What was the first thing that he bought with the cash?
ADVERTISEMENT
“I don’t know, man,” he says, throwing his head back. “A house, a bunch of Rolls Royces and stuff. I spent a lot of money.”
He called himself the baddest man on the planet then. Now he harbours no malevolence. Not on most days.
“Oh man, I’m a tennis parent [his nine-year-old daughter Milan is a junior player]. Mostly I’m a parent. [But] I get a chance to go out every now and then.”
It’s been a long time since he hit someone. He did throw a punch in 'The Hangover', but that was all acting. He enjoys being on camera. What he doesn’t like is the tedium of the movie-making process.
“You have so many parts that you have to do over and over and over again,” he says, making a circular motion with his hand. “Plus a lot of waitin’.”
Tyson — who was in Mumbai to launch an event organised by Mohamed Ali Budhwani — recently got into the marijuana business. He feels the substance should be made legal. “Absolutely,” he says. “It’s so funny. There are places, like Dubai, where liquor is legal but not marijuana, a harmless substance.”
The meeting is over. Another interviewer hurries in. “You have a minute-and-a-half, pal,” the journalist is told by Tyson’s manager.
Had Michael Spinks been around, he might have said, “So did I."
He is not the only one to have gone bust. There are other legends from the sports arena who have had to face similar music.
Download
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
Related Articles
Sunday Motivation by Mike Tyson: ‘I just want to do what I do best, and that's…’ Boxing legend's powerful words on strong mindset and passion2026-06-21T03:13:40Z- Saturday Motivation by Mike Tyson: 'The only thing I do is just pray for inspiration, for a way of thinking, because I don't have any…’2026-04-04T04:35:14Z
- Quote of the day on March 26 by Mike Tyson: 'Everybody thinks this is a tough man’s sport. This is not a tough man’s sport. This is a ...'. A tough man is gonna get hurt real bad in this sport'2026-03-26T08:39:50Z
ADVERTISEMENT
