Mike Tyson‘s name conjures images of an unstoppable force—a gladiator in the ring, ferocious and unyielding. But even the mightiest warriors have their moments of doubt. In a surprising confession at San Diego Comic-Con 2023, Mike Tyson pulled back the curtain on his indomitable persona, revealing that he once teetered on the edge of quitting mid-fight.
You see, ‘Iron’ Mike was headlining ‘The Art of Fighting’ panel presented by TEKKEN 8, a video game developed by the brilliant minds of Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc. The panel brought together real-world champions, including Cris Cyborg, and WWE Superstar Xavier Woods a.k.a. Austin Creed, to discuss shared themes and look at how fight techniques have evolved.
Regardless, a clip from this event has resurfaced on the internet once again, as boxing reporter, Elie Seckbach, reposted the clip on Instagram, giving fans a blast from the past. This comes weeks after 58-year-old Tyson lost a unanimous decision 10-round fight to YouTube star Jake Paul in Arlington, Texas.
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Responding to a fan’s question during the panel, Tyson recollected his bout against Mark Young all the way back in December 1985. “My second 10-round fight—the guy wasn’t that great of a fighter, really,” Tyson said. “But he hit me in the stomach a couple of times and it hurt and I wanted to stop.”
The former heavyweight champion claimed despite the pain from Young’s punches, he didn’t quit and went on to win. In fact, Tyson won that fight via 1st round knockout—it was his 15th consecutive knockout win. He would go on to knockout his next four opponents as well before recording his first unanimous decision win over James Tillis in 1986.
Coming back to Tyson’s story, Tyson claimed despite his spectacular win, the punches left him unable to walk for three days. “I was proud that I didn’t stop and I fought back, but I couldn’t walk for three days,” Tyson recalled. This prompted the fan to guess that Tyson tried to avoid body shots from then on. But the reality was different.
“No, not really, but I know I can take them now,” Tyson quickly corrected the fan. Meanwhile, Tyson has revealed something interesting about his bout against Jake Paul.
Mike Tyson has dismissed claims that age slowed him down during his recent fight against Jake Paul. Despite losing via unanimous decision, the 58-year-old insisted he wasn’t fatigued during the eight-round bout, his first in almost 20 years. “Magically, it just happened so quick,” Tyson told 7News. “Eight rounds were over fast. I wasn’t tired, I wasn’t sweating. I didn’t understand that.”
The fight, which Tyson’s son Amir called his father’s ‘best effort’ at this stage of his life, fueled rumors of being rigged—claims Amir denied. “His gas tank after the third round was just shot,” Amir clarified to Seconds Out. “He did the best he could at his age.” While Tyson appears retired for good, he remains optimistic about the future, saying, “The sky is the limit. I’m very grateful to be able to do everything that I want to do in this and beyond.”
