Mike Tyson opens up about being candid with his feelings in public, says he is now more "comfortable in his own skin"
Mike Tyson recently opened up about becoming more candid with his feelings in public and becoming more comfortable doing so as he got older. He noted that it was much different when he was surging in popularity and became the youngest heavyweight champion.
'Iron Mike' has been open about various details about his career, upbringing and personal life, which has resulted in fans gravitating toward him. His honesty, especially when he was nearing the end of his career, provided fans a glimpse into feelings toward boxing when he knew it was time to retire.
During his latest appearance on Andre Ward's The Art of Ward, the former heavyweight boxing champion discussed the importance of being truthful to yourself as a competitor. Tyson mentioned that he was uncomfortable in his own skin when he became successful but believes doing so is a way of accepting who he is:
"They have to live with themselves. And being...untruthful to yourself is the biggest lie you could ever tell. I'm not saying go out and pray on the street, 'I'm this way'...Just believe who you are and accept who you are. I accept who I am...I'm comfortable in my skin now. Most people are not comfortable being who they are. When I was champ, I wasn't comfortable in my own skin." [32:18]
Check out the full interview with Mike Tyson below:
Mike Tyson discloses that being comfortable was a misconception
In addition to opening up about being more candid with the public, Mike Tyson discussed how he dealt with being uncomfortable in his own skin when he was at the height of his boxing career.
Many would assume that Tyson was comfortable, especially considering that he took the sport by storm and was known for his spectacular knockouts, but that wasn't the case.
During the aforementioned interview, Tyson mentioned that him being comfortable in his own skin when he gained fame and notoriety was a misconception:
"Yeah, that's all a role, that's more the acting but I wasn't comfortable in my skin. God gave me more than I could handle at that stage."
Check out Boxing Kingdom's post featuring a young Mike Tyson earning a knockout win below: