IN an extraordinary interview, Mike Tyson pulls no punches as he talks about about coming to our shores for the first time, Julia Gillard and why deep down he's really a coward.
What do I call you?
Mike. Just call me Mike, please.
Does anything feel better than winning?
That's a good feeling, but to know that you put in the work and you did it all. Even in a losing bout, knowing that you gave your best and you can improve on that ... that's the greatest feeling.
Having a defeat and then winning again, there's nothing like it. Overcoming adversity is better than even winning.
What's the sweetest win you ever had?
Larry Holmes. Because I remember when I was a little boy in 1980, October 2, Cus (D'Amato) took me and a couple of the other young fighters to close circuit to watch Muhammad Ali fight Larry Holmes. After the fight, we had a 45-minute drive home to Catskill from Albany.
The only thing you could hear in the car was the gas. Everything was dead silent on that trip.
Australia, drugs, sexism and the myth of Iron Mike Tyson
Taylor Auerbach, The Sunday Telegraph
And the next morning Cus was on the phone to Muhammad and Cus was so hurt. He said: "Why did you let that man beat on you like that Muhammad?"
Then he said I have a young black kid who's going to be the heavyweight champ of the world. I'd like you to talk to him, his name is Mike. And I talked to Ali and he said he was sick, he took medicine that made him sick. And I was just a little boy of 15 or 14, but I remember saying this: "When I get big, I'm going to get him for you."
What are your thoughts about Muhammad Ali?
I think he's the greatest fighter of all time. It had nothing to do with his skill. His character as a fighter. He's the kind of man, you've got to kill him to beat him.
He has so much pride and dignity, maybe it's a fault. A guy like me wants to win fights and tell you I'm the best, I'm the champion. Ali wants you to say, it don't matter if you're black, white, if you say "you're my champ, Ali".
Ali will fight to the death for you. There don't have to be no money, just for that alone he'll fight to the death for you. Not many fighters would do that.
Was he a reason behind why you became Muslim?
No, not at all, because he converted to the Nation of Islam and it's a different form of Islam and religion that I practise.
I think he eventually transformed to the orthodox religion, but I just thought of the character of the man, he was a great man.
I loved him . . he looks more like a model than a heavyweight champion. But he's the kind of guy - man, he has to be dead; if he's not dead, you didn't win the fight yet. That's what people don't realise about Ali. They see him running around, but he's very game. His pain threshold is unbelievable, it's inconceivable.
You must have been nervous to talk to him?
I was nervous, but I was very excited because being with Cus, I spoke with a lot of great fighters. I spoke on the phone with a lot of fighters - Johnny Wilson, Tommy Loughran, I talked with a lot of great, legendary fighters with Cus that ain't around no more, like from the '20s.
I just so happened to talk to Muhammad Ali and I was pretty sad because the night before that I'd seen him get shellacked real good and it was just a bad day for all of us. We've never been the same, I remember that day and It was October 2, 1980. I'll never forget it.
Did it hurt you more than some of your own losses?
It hurt me a lot because I'd never seen Ali fight, but I'd heard so many wonderful things from Cus about him.
Cus admired him so much ... I felt so bad for Cus, he didn't talk the whole ride. We all did the same thing, we were scared to mention a f ... ing word because Cus didn't say a word. It sounded just like a funeral.
All you could hear was the goddamn motor.
I've never forgotten that moment in my life, it was like we were all too scared to say a word. We were scared to breathe. It was the most intense moment of my life
Cookies must be enabled | Herald Sun
