¶ Mike’s childhood
My guest today is Mike Tyson. Mike is the former heavyweight boxing champion of the world, one of the greatest boxers of all time. And one of the most recognized sports personalities in the world.
This is what I wanted to do. I wanted to be the best and well, no, I was gonna fight on the look, Beth, most of my career fighting beef was based on my ego. I don't think the way that we're picking this cold weak moment people abused me again,
when he was 20 years old, four months and 22 days old, he became the youngest boxer ever to win a heavyweight title and he was the first heavyweight boxer to simultaneously hold the WBA, WBC and IBF titles
and won the Junior Olympics twice. And so within a local paper and take the paper newspaper and show it to my mother, she's doing mementos. There's always somebody better. And when she said that, they gotta you talking about Lena will always bet into my destiny. I'm always been that guy.
He finished his professional care with a 50 and six record with a knockout to win percentage of 88% and is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. In addition to his incredible boxing career, Mike has appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows, and is the creator and actor of the one man hit Broadway show the undisputed truth and is the author of a best selling book of the same name.
Get this bill and I'm gonna get it edited because this goes on in my mind.
Mike is also a successful entrepreneur. He's the founder of two cannabis companies, including Tyson 2.0 And he has a dedicated philanthropist through his Mike Tyson cares foundation and his support of other charities including the Make a Wish Foundation and the Special Olympics Mike, it's incredible pleasure to have you on my show. Welcome to In Search of Excellence. And my friend I always start my podcast with family because our family helped shape our personality our values in the
preparation for our future. You had a crazy life. Your could be crazy. Yeah. Your dad was a pimp. Yes. And your mother was a drug addict and help with him in the sex industry. And when you were one year old, your parents do use alcohol and drug sometimes to put you to sleep Absolutely. So wanna marijuana at one years old? So take us through the first five years of your life I think a lot of us remember what we were like in kindergarten we're gonna get into your later childhood right
after that. But through five years old, did you realize what kind of life you were living?
I really I'm a middle class life when I was five years old. My life come to close like I started in the pits of brown. But that maybe I led people to believe that but that's really not. That's not what happened. I remember us living in a brownstone. And we had his name was Austin. He's a landlord. He lived in Jewish
older man. And I had a really decent life until I guess my mother made a bad business decision with a man and lots of money and stuff and I think that's when we moved to browns and and did life became so much challenging then
it was a high crime neighborhood.
Big fan high crime hate drugs. Hi, everything. Is everything. Just a city in Brooklyn, even now, but you just don't want to be there. If you don't know anyone.
So when you were younger, you were bullied.
Big time. Yeah. Big time.
You had a list? Yes. You had bad acne? Yes. You have a high voice. Chubby? Yeah. So tell us know what glasses and your glasses. So an unattractive kid. And that's the kind of kid that people bully. So have you been bullied? influence your future? What were you thinking at the time a lot of bullies and this happened to me when I was bullied. I said, I don't want to be bullied anymore. And I'm gonna make it in life and help motivate me to be successful.
I'm gonna try to avoid these guys on my life. I never knew that they don't go anywhere. You can't escape these guides unless you confront them and learn at a young age. So can't run from them. You got to confront them.
How old were you when you were bullied for the first time?
Is it really I can meet it's common to them in fog and intermingling with people and going seeing people at schools Yeah, probably eight years old. I started getting involved in school but they always picked on me in school kick the shit out of me.
It's hard to believe that someone kick the shit out of you.
I know listen, when I see these mean bad savage guys in the streets. I understand. I get it. I get that and return it to those people.
And at that point, would you come home crying to your mom all the time. Well Your Mom,
don't worry, it's gonna stop. You don't have to fight them back. Now you could do it in this my mother uses non violence she didn't believe in fighting and stuff. She believed in taking care make sure the kids avoid. We let reality life. But it wasn't like, confront your demons.
Alright 13 20% of kids in high school between the ages of 13 and 18 are bullied. It's a national pandemic. By the time
I'm 13 I'm never bullied again. Everybody's all tough guy, my buddy. They weren't my friends. And the time I was 30 I knew all the gangs guy they knew me we all crop together in a desperate time of life. Right? It's like bizarro world, like all all the bad was really good. And all the good was really bad, respectable people were bad. And in the criminal guys were good. And I thought it was in that world. And if you didn't, if you weren't involved with crime, we weren't our friend. You're the
enemy. If that was
at some point, you're 10 years old. And you love pigeons. You're an unhappy kid. And pigeon was the first thing that you loved in life.
100% Listen, I I've got involved with pitons from being bullied. I'm walking. In my school, you have lunch and you have breakfast. So I go out to eat breakfast and then I lead schoolwork around school kill time till lunchtime come which is probably 11 to 12 o'clock. So I go to eat lunch. And then I went to school though, I can go
back home. One time I eaten lunch and after that process eating lunch, I was walking around the school as I normally does, and I saw three guy and then they started to sell me and say hey, you have any money? No. And if I find any money, I'm gonna kick you. You know what? Let them check me. And if you do you want to fly with us? And I had no idea what flying meant. And so I think yeah, because I
was scared. And so I climbed this fence they'll give me a milk crate from donor milk crate I don't know why he wants these milk crates it's tough kind of Street guy. And we're taking these milk crates in this abandoned building I'm getting really knows I don't know these guys and they're trying to get me in this abandoned building.
It jumped in I was scared. I wanted to step second floor and I climbed to the roof and I packed they went up first and I started passing the crate then I went up there and I saw this little Cooper box little fence net fence I feel birds I was like wow these guys like bird to these guys when they were harmed we have a pro These kind of guys like birds and I was impressive those kind of guys couldn't away message those guy that brothers was tough and it was that
respect in the street. And so I was there I don't know they go for go to school for me. He mentioned taking me some food. Some cake milk this the birds were I didn't know the time but the birthday had was really added condition to the fly flight 10 Min. In Atlanta smite COVID It shouldn't scare the burden from a flight of birds they come up with your scam off. And so that's stuff I did for them. And so after they kept me captured and it was school,
nobody let me go home. And I definitely you know that whole that whole day I was just thinking about these birds and these guys. And so the next day come I don't go eat breakfast I go to the coop that they had me. As soon as I come to the coop. They see me from the roof. And they thought don't bricks me just to my birth mother. I said no, I just came by the nose and you guys need me to do anything go to store for you something. And from that day on. I was stuck.
I think you had a neighbor and a bully and he did something really bad to the bird. Oh
no. Once I forgave him well, this is the year now a year it's past. Now I'm robbing people for the money to buy birds and birds. And I had my birth hidden and in an abandoned building that happened my family happy we happen to live in. And I showed somebody the bird grab what with the monies that I had stolen, and he went back told those guys I had a bunch of birds and they came he set me up
to get robbed by the birds. And so those guys came into the room and that's my birth my mother came up Hey, what you're doing in a Rambo one guy ran. He before he ran, he took a bird and put on his shirt and took off ran between my mother and I was chasing them. I don't know why I was chasing them. I knew I don't know why he started to Hey, please give him a bird. And he stopped and said the words he said I can tell you they said to me, but he said you want to effect my Mama Mama and the
bird. He was bothered to hit the head. And one of the guys that used to bully me to heat them he always bullied me too but he said you better fight he was mad even though he that was his friend that did that he was he was he further Little bit of being assaulted by me with them. They love birds too. I took the boy he took the bird hit the body with the head call me fat and stupid and all that stuff. And I fought
There's blood on your shirt because the splattered all over the place
the way hit the hit the buttons and hit I mean hit with the bird,
traumatic even to see it. This is your
first time I saw that. And then suddenly snapped to bird hit my first time. And so my friend told me to fight him and it was sloppy by you started fighting him and I and I kind of dropped them in when they fell on the floor. Not necessarily in the face, but looks like I hit him. And the guy that came in about my birthday, I started to put in clapping laughing
the guy was bigger than you. Yeah. You like 1413 And you were 10 only 10. And what was the feeling when you hit a guy for the first time?
I couldn't wait to go home and tell people that you know have fun but they knew they seen the fight. People started coming around and they started talking Wow, man, you did this. You did that man. You kicked such and such. And then I used to start watching my friends box playing around. And that's when I wanted to be that kind of tough guy not a fight kind of guy in the street in the way mess with me. Who am I doing my fancy clothes to take him to the
boiling stop after that first fight because everyone absolutely.
But then the bullying started with me. I started bullying people, because that was that was the norm.
You became your boy and then you became
homeless? What happened to bullied people who people who people.
And so at that point, you started getting in more fights and more.
Tons of fights. Man, I must have had three fights a day. He was scared that he would start if I'm on a bus and I'm trying to pickpocket you and you and I don't know you have a friend with you on the bus or a family member and a family member feed me but you go and offend him. He has come up and hit you boom. He's in your pocket. He explains to his ears in your pocket. And so I'm fighting the bus and getting my butt kicked on the bus. COVID jumped me and they kicked my
1213 but I'm a big kid. But I look like this at 13. And if I'm fighting both of them, and if I get off the bus, my snatch is shameful. I get off the bus stuff like that. And we were just very notorious. We would get on a bus or something. Train and the conductor was said a bus driver. Hey, everyone, some young people got on the bus and that Joshua did pickpocket. Watch your pocket when we got busted. So why he said that to get off the bus. And it was just a struggle every day sometimes.
I go out with three friends four friends early in one start robbing and stealing. Some of them might get killed. we all we all don't come home together. And she's like, really poor kids in New York City.
What was the first time you committed a crime? You said you were pickpocketing people and what made you do it?
Because that was the norm for me when I was hanging around these kids. They lived in these low income houses. But they dress you think these guys from prep school we got the glasses, they got the collagen. I got the diamond watch. They was up on all the fashion designs of the day they wore clothes, George ash and all that stuff that is special and they were Jeff into the Jefferson
thing. I wanted to be like that because one day I went hanging out with them come find the birds and birds and you get you get birds cleaning the bird coop. You get Carling, you could try to turn the coop we know rain, snow get involved. And you look like math you look you know shoe and faith. And if you can't go into Senate jam, and I will tell you I didn't understand you had to wash first go home and wash and do us to been come out. I used to always stay dirty and funky all day. Could they be
like them? We're gonna rule from you looking dirty. If people come by me, we're going out to mad, hippie, Gong change, get fly. And that's I wanted to send it I went to the center. We were jamming. And they flew me off of acid. I started crying I didn't know but I had to take showers and dress and get the feathers out my hair and I had no idea about that kind of lifestyle hygiene. And after that, that never happened again. I always went shopping with the best clothes and I was just so what
was that? I was so self conscious about my appearance.
So how old were you the first time you You robbed somebody and then did the the crime rally
11pm I got away I got arrested a lot but I gotta wait to kill them go.
Alright. So by the time you're 13 years old, you're arrested 37 times
12 boys put 37 out there but you probably so that will get arrested a lot but they will let me go the cops to why Hmm, why would they let you go was a kid you know? I mean first of all, they throw the tough guy who was big and then they steal my eight and paying 12 And if they Let me go. It's not like it is now in the UK tinuum customer lock you up might kill you. And they'll it's a whole different story. And what sometimes they bring me to my mother, my mother is assault me right in front of
them. Laugh, laugh watch my mother kicked my butt.
I mean, I was wondering about your mom, what would she say when you came home with the jewelry that she knows you didn't earn.
She wanted some to come with him when I was getting money because I would steal money from my friends too. In the house. I used to really encourage young kid and no respect for anybody. I was stealing money. That was the life payment, anything to make it that's what I've learned in the streets everywhere else means nothing. If it doesn't have anything to do with your survival.
So most parents when they come home and other kid kids the crime there.
I say we failed, we cut off welfare, we have no way of getting any kind of money. Right? You know, I mean, if you say you buy these and but maybe you get too old to do that, too. So you have no money. You're not on welfare. You got many house and everybody's watch these men come in and out of your house. And your son, he's 12 years old, but he comes home with 5000 hours of 1600 bucks. I don't like that. And you're not going to take any money when he said hey, man, look at this or
something like this. And when my mother took some of the money, and I will come back later and say hey, man, you owe me what? 500 bucks, 20 bucks, whatever. Like they say, yeah, you owe me a life out. He's not gonna get nothing back. And I understood that back then, you know, then that's just the way that I never understood family. It's nice when anybody was just criminals. That's where I come from a buddy is trying to hustle. No one
had a nice family that you said one day, I want to be like that or emulate I wish I had what they had.
Yeah, but they haven't they haven't received everything they have from crying. So how are they going to get that? But only means that no, my watching the people that have what I want. received that. That makes sense. Yes. And so that's what I wanted to do. And I get to help people when they knew they were criminal, but people whose always loved them, hug them. And the bigger criminal you were, the more respected you were in Africa, we
wanted to enable respect. And we weren't wearing the fancy clothes and fancy shoes and driving a moped and most likely your car even, you're not gonna get any respect.
So what were your goals at that point was to become a professional criminal and
just be that's all I wanted to do. Robin still,
that was it? And did you ever think at some point is going to come to an end and you may spend your life in prison or you didn't care?
Well, that's all my friends were doing. We're all doing and that's what we're doing. It's been my life. I have friends just recently come out of jail for two years. Three years, they've been locked up. When they were like that with me. When I was 1213 years old, they were likely with me, but they stayed on the path to crime. And I went on a path of sports and we deem myself in that perspective.
So you were sent to a juvie home when you're 13
No, no, this is when it gets interesting. I'm in the
¶ Juvenile facilities and Mike’s first steps in boxing
holding facility in the Bronx called Spofford juvenile facility. And so one day we come to the auditorium but we come here and they turn the lights on play the movie, The Greatest Story of Muhammad Ali. So movie with over it turned off the light and Muhammad Ali comes in. Everybody goes berserk. I think well off the bat if I want to be like him my mind subconsciously, so much. So a month or so go by. I get transferred to try on school for boys. And so I get transferred there and I get in
trouble. And I don't know probably like a month or two months. While I'm there. I get in trouble fight. I don't know if they will stand and fight. And so I went from that dorm which was a nice dorm. And then I go to Blair wood and we'll go to elbow College. No college is from for the guy that to be scolded all the time. They really violent and they may be there for murder. Yeah, juveniles. And so they called the lack of college, college,
college. Because when you leave the college, you always have to have your hand up so it wasn't like the other ones. You'd go free go walking around. We always had bad supervision and handcuffs. You know, and so I went there and I met this gentleman named Bobby Stewart. So I will say why we stood with the box in the ABA talks about him. And then he came to the medulla nothing to do. Why would you want to see him What are you want? Honey? No way I am and he
was just he was a rough guy. Why I do really nice when the kid No, but he wasn't a nice he was an I, as I want to be a fireman if everybody wants to be a fireman, show me when we finally show some respect to people because I wasn't I kind of I was disrespectful of everyone. And I went to school, where I took my reading level for like a fourth grade, we were able to like a seventh grade, even within a couple of months, and so and so
he thought that was great. And I got after I went on this stage from school graduation, or whatever it was, and I received diplomas and certificates and all that stuff. And he was impressed with that. And it wasn't like he was a big jump at the come from fourth to seventh to the Columbia. He thought that was great. So he started training me. And he taught me how to fight. He kicked the crap out of me most of the times.
I think he broke his nose. Yes, I did that. And how long was it before he kicked the shit out of you before he broke his nose?
I was quick. To quit, he taught me well. And then he said my wife didn't want me to bulking them. Because I'm gonna take you someone with these guys will take you to the next level. Right? And that's when I met my mentor customer motto, right? Those 13 Right. And
he became your mentor and like a father figure
¶ Mike’s first mentor - Cus D'Amato
to you that 16 Right when your mom passed away. So tell us about your relationship with him and his wife, Camille, and how long have you and what lessons they imparted on you back then that you still carry forward today?
Wow, that's really interesting. When I go to my life, and this certain certain conduct that I'm involved with, and always reminds me, because always when it comes to standing up for myself, well, I'm the kind of guy this is just for me, because I'm the kind of guy to fight better when my backs against the wall. But I don't like to be my back against the wall. My backs against the wall. I'm just insane. And that's what it's about what customer was about never giving up.
Please don't give up. That was the main lesson he taught you. Oh,
absolutely. It works.
So you had an unusual relationship with it. Who was your father? Your father? It was probably the first time
understood the concept of love.
I'm just gonna say we had the first person who loved you for the first time. Yes. And how good did that feel coming from the kind of home you came from to living and
that's very interesting, too. Because once I felt that feeling I wanted to do anything I could for him. He wanted me to be heavyweight champ. I want to do that for him. For him, not for yourself know that too. But for me getting the courage and the confidence from this guy. You know, to be able to do what I did. Yeah, I wanted to do it.
How old were you when he said Hey, Mike, you've got some special skill
because they met me just like that. Yeah,
but Bobby told them already. Hey, you're this guy's got some skill.
Yeah, but first thing he sent me a box about why we kick the shit out of me. Yeah, but then he broke his nose No That's That's before we before they kick the shit out of me because saw something he said this is gonna be next every champion the first day so me box just like he's always very aggressive very I came across very malevolent mean, you know, I was just Yeah, well, he enjoyed that. He like aggressive violent hungry guys. That won't give up drill me.
Had you ever aspired to be the champion before? Cuz
I just thought I knew it's crying. Yeah, but you knew
but I had a love for boxing. You were good at it. But at some point you say hey, I'm going to be a good boxer make a lot of money or at some point I want to be
the greatest fighter since the beginning of eternity to now I want listen because made me believe I was God. When you were 16 Yeah, well, I was 16 I was already what world amateur champion national champion. I was already established fighting the world.
You're knocking everybody out? Yes. I've
had to live but when my age of course the fight in the room. Good time. Real good fighters, because that'd be 18. No, I had to. I had to be 1616 or 18. Six, nothing. 16 openfire 16.
At this point, you're not making any money. You're an amateur. And how often are you in the gym every day? I'm 16 years old every day, five hours a day.
Listen, three hours, probably two hours. But then I'm working early in the morning. I'm getting them running. I'm doing my exercise. I'm shadowboxing. It's basically you work out most of the day, most of the day consistently working out. We're going to school at all. Yes, I was. This is really
cool to to to put that up. And I was never interested in what they had to teach me In school, only thought about being a champion of welding school Daydreamin ammo, defend my title and do this and have a beautiful house. And that's what I normally thought about. I wasn't really interested in what they're teaching me in school phase always try to get kicked out of the school. So one day I had a teacher that I had a physical altercation with. And I was saying, Hey,
this is great. You beat up a teacher
kind of thing with glass? Well, good. I'll have to go to school no more. So my mental class DeMonte is Italian. The school principal leeboy Burnett, Burnett. onec he the Italian. Nice me now these guys are talking about the Titan stuff. This is why nodes in trouble. When cafe where your family from? And the guy said something cuz Whoa, Billy, I'm really I'm back in school again. I didn't want to be it's going
to get kicked out of school. And so these Italian guy, they're talking and I know you're coming in school, I had a fight with the teacher and I do that. And then I'm back in class, back in homeroom that couldn't get kicked out.
But was class telling you hey, Mike, you need an education. And you're not boxing, if you're not if you're not studying big time, but you're saying, Hey, man, I just don't want a part of it.
I say I don't know how to do that. How do you buy you put this number you put in? It's just knowing I'm gonna do this because it's not gonna work. Let's just go fight. Please, please, please, very disappointed and finish school.
He was disappointed. You're disappointed.
He was disappointed. I was happy. I didn't finish ecstatic. I think I went out with some friends and a big maximum Dairy Queens after that.
What about now? Do you regret not going and not not graduating?
Well listen to Bethany I, the best thing that happened to me is that I stopped school, that time to put 100% into my crap for my kids and go to school that never went to in my life and never will be able to go to. And that's pretty much what happened. My team, I can't listen. Oh, yeah, to hear this. My kids are so brilliant. But they, they bust my chops a lot. You know, like, we might be around, I'm talking I might talk talking like I'm a big shot, and
my friend, my friend. And then again that he told me though, then I never knew you're illiterate. You can say this was fun, this word and they start busting my chops. I say hey, the reason why I'm not I didn't go to school because I worked so hard for you guys new school for doing a tease you like you gotta tease me. But they don't understand the conflict. And they always been spoiled, they always been in a position of where they never would want it anything pretty much if partly
from being selfish. But other than that, really needing something good exists not have to live like that they can do whatever they want from a living perspective. But um, the youth have to know that life is about struggle, well, the struggle is no process. You get no progress, no progress without any without no struggle. And that's what I believe. Because they did, they did a research study with some rats. And they took these rats and they put them in this environment, probably bigger
than that. But they have all the food, they want them on the sex, they want that whatever everything they want. The next thing first thing happened, he stopped breaking up in groups and didn't have the group to the ones that he just want to stay beautiful, clean themselves all day. Then they have these guys, aggressive, someone aggressive, aggressive, they want to beat him up, rape, this stupid thing. And then they have these groups over here that don't associate
with other groups. And so eventually know what happened. They step up and say, Stop fighting become chaotic. And then they all die off. And so that explained to me, without any struggle and no progress, because people we have to be active. They weren't active, they did nothing. And then when they started doing so we have to start we have to be involved with the outcome. What happens in life and we have to struggle and that's just what life is
about. Life is not about just having a good time or not about funny day. It's about enjoying those semi funny moments and deal with the world as it is on life on life's terms.
Let's go back to your first professional fight.
Yeah. Mercedes, who was with Hector Mercedes,
¶ The beginning of his fighting career
Mercedes, and how old was Hector?
I live in Module me I was 18 months old. They're probably 2021
So take us to the exact moment where you're in the locker room you got your shorts on customers there are you afraid you're gonna lose or do say I'm a fucking destroy this
family lose? With worsening losing to me. It's looking bad. You can look good losing which is it's looking bad losers not good. I don't want to bad loser. That's what I thought about my mind sloppy, my bad. Even though I looked at him, he just shook fat guy. In my mind, he was a monster. So I beat him one round. And I had a bunch of one and I'm not counting my first fight. I want to distance what I think was James Wilson and James Cohen's cowboy took on 10 Round cowboy. Yeah, black guy.
Gonna come out and cowboy boots.
Hat. That's my first time around as an FYI with Tim. Tim round. And so I want to run another speaker knockouts. I wanted to title it 20 years ago, and he said, we can't have a mirror on 10 defensive, I lost my title in 1990. And I started to come back I have for fights in 1991. I got in trouble legally. And then after I got in trouble legally and my such case, I went to prison for three years.
Right before we go there, I want to go back to your dream. Your dream was to become the heavyweight champion. That's what I thought of and and did the dream consume you on a daily basis? And Sue me 24 hours a day?
Totally out. I'm told my turn dad. So I thought about fighting. So I thought about fighting matches, going to room so putting that fight to go fight together? Why?
Couldn't wait for the next one to get your shot?
I listened I have 15 fights in one year. Of course, I couldn't wait.
And so and you had never been hurt before?
Well, no, not in the box.
So take us to the actual locker room. You know, I've talked to friends who play in the Super Bowl. And you know, they got the nerves are out there on the field. You're not out there on the field warming up, you're in the room and you're warming up in the back warming up in the back. But what what were you feeling the second you stepped into that ring? And said, If I win this fight this moment, whether it's 10 seconds later, or going full distance? What were you
thinking? And then what was your exact reaction when you raised your hands afterward and you had one?
Well, the first thing I'm thinking is that you caught them really know this? Yeah. So you know, you know, this is my moment. This is my time. You know, I'm not gonna do I have to caveat I'm gonna get that belt. That was my main jam and get this belt and I'm gonna get it any, any cause I'm a lemon visitato Tara's soul partner who goes on in my mind. I have to think really do anything really violent stuff when I fight and relax, but I think violently
thinking back to your childhood. Yeah, they chose
me again. That led to my childhood my fighting career,
right? So so became the youngest champ ever. And then you were the first person to hold all three titles at the same time. Your mom never knew you as a successful person. Talk Talk about that, if you
had won the Junior Olympics twice, right. And so within a local paper in Catskill, the town that I'm from at the moment, I take the people newspaper, I show it to my mother, she's cooking me food, and I'm telling my mother, I'm gonna be champion a worldwide man no man could be me when I get older this and that. And all this will make me the dial on the body houses all over the country. And she's looking at me. I know she didn't What did these white people do with my son? Why is he talking to
Craven? So grant? And she said, Well forget what happened to Joe Lewis because she was born in 1927 to deal with the hero and I'm
from Detroit. So we love jello absolute. Yeah.
So um, she's remember Joe Lewis maxima. There's always somebody better. And when she said that, I went to a curse because he gave me this big ego and ego. And I said, Listen, the guy you talking about right now? Who's always better than somebody? That's me. I'm always better than that guy. That's me. I'm the guy that there's always somebody better mom. After that. She looked at me and gave me to pay with walked away. I know she
she my mother. She was really never been the guy that used bragging told them will be the greatest sibling because you had to give yourself affirmation.
And you never got it from her. No.
Cuts took me affirmations. And my mother used to be a kind respectable kid and who out there and fight people. You will never believe my mother and I could believe you know, my mother. She was a really nice lady. She's just surviving out there.
But do you regret that she didn't see you as champ and all the tremendous
100%
So you talked about making millions of dollars and you're gonna buy all this stuff. At one point you were the
¶ From millions of dollars to bankruptcy
highest paid athlete in the world. Yes. And you started making a million dollars and you're getting purses of 1020 $30 million, you're sending Pay Per View records of the world for all your fights. At some point, it made $400 million reportedly in the ring, which inflation adjusted is $700 million today. And in, in my world, in, in the corporate world, a lot of my friends talk about making having a goal, right? First, you want to make a million dollars. And as you get a little older, it's now 5
million. And if you live in expensive places like LA or New York, 5 million isn't really I mean, a nice house costs more than 5 million New York or whatever. And then there's a concept it keeps going up. People talk about fucking money. And fuck you money is I don't have to worry about money, I can do whatever I want. But you had made fucking money, a lot of it. And then you lost it. So you went bankrupt? How did you go?
And so many people I know, by the way, who are many millionaires sent the millionaires have gone bankrupt as well. How did that happen? And what's the lessons that you took from that
I got in addition to being really careless and reckless. And not that the money was never going to end, I used to I was never going to live that long. And so I used to live the life of a rally, I guess I did whatever I want when I went with whoever I wanted, whenever I wanted to do that. And that was just my life. Access.
But that's a lot of access. It's hard to spend that much money,
no people steal from you here, you give a little way here. You do investments, really small amount of it. And people, you can learn how to be successful, right? You can learn hard work, diligence, and all that stuff. And you can become successful. But there's no that's a blueprint, a blueprint for success. There's no blueprint for managing money. I mean, no one tells you, hey, we got to manage your money to do inspection. We never did it before. Right? No, yes, the
street kid. And then listen, I used to read about Omni soul guy, especially the old Jewish guy with the turn of the century and stuff, the majority of them, like fluency films guy. And when he was trying to explain to him about investing your money and doing your money in this, of course, he said, I'm like giving the bank's my money. I'm not putting my money in the bank. And for some reason, I said, Hey, I don't blame him. Anybody can take your money, you have all your money in the bank. You
know, hey, the bank crashed. And so I always say, hey, that's where I'm spending my money and my bed pretty much you know. And that's just how I live my life. And that not to do my personality. I'm really extreme person.
You didn't have there wasn't someone near you, who said, who you trusted and said, Hey, Mike, I'm gonna manage your money and kind of rein you in. And so once
he said that he wasn't hanging around me no more. You just said too bad.
I'm doing what I want to do. Claims train
money, and I would just give this stuff away. They're going
to be very generous guy. Were people taking advantage of you at the point?
Absolutely. But at that moment, you become you can you have Stockholm Syndrome, you you have to be less than this. And you always had this money, you have no self love for yourself. You feel like you. You what your member was that we use survivor. From all years traumas in life, I didn't believe I deserved everything. And so I never had it before. I never noticed my friend and with kids die for your love you doesn't that that's pretty distracting. You know, and then you say to
yourself, I don't love me. They love me. And then you start questioning yourself, you start questioning your existence, is the question in anybody's mind. Everybody, everybody loves me and who hates me? You know, I must be enemy to myself today. But he's my friend. And I have no enemy. Only enemy have to be me. So I start looking at myself in a different perspective. And it wasn't a good, I didn't have a good self esteem, didn't feel the money meant nothing. Money
meant nothing to me. But this is what I found out in life. If I did it once before, I can do it again. And I did that and then that was my money again, but I did it again. And I lost my money again, if I've been reaching broke one, anybody I know. And so I mean, it's grateful that I have a great support system now and I'm living my life different high yield accounts. And I'm getting some I'm very fortunate, very fortunate. I'm very grateful for my the way my life turned