Mike Tyson took to Reddit this week to do an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session. Iron Mike, who is now a boxing promoter, was open to fans who asked him questions about all aspects of his life. From subjects like boxing to tohe WWE and MMA, Tyson, whose Reddit name is The_Mike_Tyson, answered everything that came at him. Here are some highlights.
On Life:
BedSideCabinet asked:
What are some of the most important things that you’ve learned in life?
The_Mike_Tyson answered:
You have to be humble in life, and if you are not humble, life will make you humble.
On His Health:
FrankerZd 11 asked:
How have concussions and head blows affected your health after retirement?
The_Mike_Tyson answered:
I have no idea, maybe I am able to speak better now. I went in talking funny and came out talking funny!
On Wladimir Klitschko and Floyd Mayweather:
PoppySquidJr asked:
There’s a lot of talk that Wladimir Klitschko has been reigning heavyweight champ for so long because there aren’t any good heavyweight fighters left. Do you think this is the case or do you think Klitschko would still have been a formidable heavyweight champion even in the golden age? It seems like a lot of people also question the legitimacy of Floyd Mayweather’s undefeated record accusing him of cherry-picking his fights, what’s your opinion on him?
The_Mike_Tyson answered:
I think he (Klitschko) would have done well in any era. Floyd, I don’t know. He has beaten everyone he has fought. He is the cream of the crop. I would love to see him fight Pacquiao though.
On Boxing Tips:
YuhGuero asked:
Mike, got any words of advice to kids / teens who want to take up boxing?
The_Mike_Tyson answered:
You have to be dedicated, you have to have a monogamous relationship to it. You have to be dedicated to it and have to respect it. I have a fighter Erikson Lubin who displays all of these characteristics, it is his life – I tell him this all the time. He has to be married to it and dedicated to it.
glassjoe103 asked:
What’s your favorite punch or combo? My favorite combo you deploy is the right hook to the body to right uppercut. It’s so devastating and fast. Before they can react to the body blow, you’ve already knocked their teeth out!
The_Mike_Tyson answered:
Left jab, straight right hand. One/two.. boom boom. I throw it real fast because my objective is to hear those two punches sound as close to one as possible. My intention is to knock him out, but my objective is to make the two punches sound as close to one as possible.
Leunam23 asked:
I’ve recently started training at a boxing gym. What workouts did you like for working head movement and defense besides sparring?
The_Mike_Tyson answered:
Just having someone throw punches at your head and you can’t throw back – that is how you develop good defense.
On Being a Boxing Promoter:
Leunam23 asked:
Iron Mike, honored that you might be reading this – huge fan of yours brother. Now that you’re making the transition into promoting, how will your philosophy differ from those who promoted your fights as an athlete?
The_Mike_Tyson answered:
Basically I want to match my fighters against guys of equal quality. I think those make the best fights, I just want to give fans exciting fights. They need to matched up evenly and need to be action fighters, guys that throw a lot of punches.
On MMA:
knocksteaady-liveasked:
hey mike, big fan here and love what you’ve done for the sport as well as your recent involvement in MMA and pranking dana on his plane. My question to you is this; why do you love MMA so much?
The_Mike_Tyson answered:
Because it is real raw and exciting.
On Luis Suarez (Who Bit a player during the World Cup):
Weezilwood asked:
As a former professional athlete that was suspended from boxing after your biting incident, what are your thoughts on Luis Suarez getting suspended from the World Cup for his habit of biting opponents? What drives highly competitive athletes to bite? Is it all instinct? Intimidation? Do you think he got what he should have, with regards to suspension (he’s done it THREE times)?
The_Mike_Tyson answered:
I think it is just the heat of the moment, really hot blooded and really competitive. The heat of the moment takes over us, we are really competitive and lose bad judgement in our thinking. Sometimes you can just become highly frustrated.
On WWE:
Carlito1107 asked:
How was it working with the WWE and how do you feel about being in the Hall of Fame?
The_Mike_Tyson answered:
Working with the WWE was a life saver. I am the only boxer to be in the WWE HOF as well as the boxing HOF.
On Buzz Aldrin, who had an AMA running at the same time as Tyson:
OldManLaughingBull asked:
Do you think you can beat Buzz Aldrin’s AMA that is running in parallel?
The_Mike_Tyson answered:
I probably won’t… I have never gone to the moon. If Buzz had got into the ring with me I could have sent him to the moon without the rocket ship.
