We sat down with legendary boxer Mike Tyson who has recently returned to become a fighting force in the boxing ring, not for championships anymore, but for the charity world as he fought an exhibition match in 2020 against Roy Jones Jr. solely in order to donate his seven-figure payout to charity to help those affected economically, medically and socially by the coronavirus pandemic. Tyson said, “this is better than fighting for championships, we’re humanitarians now. We can do something good for the world. We’ve got to do this again.”
Tyson is also celebrating the 10-year anniversary of his charity foundation, the Mike Tyson Cares Foundation, which is focused on helping lower income families, children and the homeless. Tyson said “I wanted to help people in need because I was once homeless, my family was homeless, I suffered from mental illness, my family suffered too…and giving to others is more satisfying than giving to yourself.”
He continued, “I come from the slums, I come from the worst society has to offer and I was fortunate to become who I am so it’s my God-blessed right to take care of other people who aren’t as fortunate as me…it’s just common sense: if you have much, you should help the ones who have none!
On what young people should look for in terms of guidance in life, Tyson says, “the only way you can receive guidance from anybody is to learn how to give because when you give, guidance automatically comes to you…it just happens. Not just money, but your time too…we’re all human beings, brothers and sisters, and we should help each other much more!”