Top 5 Mike Tyson quotes: Revisiting the heavyweight boxing legend's most iconic comments before Jake Paul fight
Well, we're almost there, aren't we? Perhaps you're reading this after the event's over. Either way, not many of us fight fans, who watched Mike Tyson compete in his final professional boxing match against Kevin McBride, could've imagined he'd ever compete in the paid ranks again.
That too against a celebrity -- a YouTuber-turned-boxer and ex-Disney star, Jake Paul, who's over 30 years younger than him!
All things aside, this fight is actually happening. The 58-year-old former undisputed heavyweight champion boxer, whose last pro boxing match came in June 2005 and last exhibition bout came in Nov. 2020, fights the 27-year-old Paul.
Their match headlines the first-ever boxing event streamed on Netflix. It'll transpire at the mammoth AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, U.S.A., on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024.
In addition to being one of the most ferocious fighters ever, 'Iron Mike' is known to be a student of ancient warriors, seeking knowledge from them and merging it with his own. Unsurprisingly, he's also an eloquent speaker.
Today, on the eve of the polarizing matchup, we look at some of Mike Tyson's most iconic quotes.
#5 Mike Tyson's profound thought on losing
Speaking to Patrick Bet-David for Valuetainment back in 2021, Mike Tyson opened up on various topics, including certain anecdotes from his childhood. The New York-born fighter, who's often spoken about the hardships he faced growing up, alluded to being misguided by people elder to him and robbing others.
Tyson suggested that he didn't know how powerful his strikes were and would, at times, inadvertently knock people out by extending his arms around the time he was in the 9-11 age category. Bet-David appeared to question whether any of their crew's targets ever got the better of him in an encounter.
The boxing great responded by stating:
"Absolutely."
Tyson added:
"In order to be good, you have to lose and understand loss because loss is life."
It was a truly profound thought -- relevant not only in combat sports or a street fight scenario but also in any other endeavors you engage in over the course of your life.
Check out Tyson's applause-eliciting quote below (7:37):
#4 'Iron Mike' imparts wisdom to Ryan Garcia on greatness and goodness
This particular quote from Mike Tyson came in cohesion with an excellent statement by one of boxing's top young superstars, Ryan Garcia. In an episode of Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson in 2021, Garcia spoke about pursuing boxing greatness rather than merely looking to accrue the most wealth.
Tyson praised Garcia's insightful approach and proceeded to showcase some insightfulness of his own. 'Iron Mike' noted:
"You know, this is the deal about greatness. Greatness chooses you. You don't choose greatness. Isn't that something? Yeah. It chooses you ... This is something I always -- this is what I learned."
Explaining the dichotomy between being great and being good, Tyson said:
"I met a lot of great people who lived, but most of the great people I met, they weren't good people. So you have to deal with that perspective, whether you're going to be great, or good, or you're going to be both. No. Real talk. Most of the great people I met, they weren't good people. Real selfish people."
Tyson and Garcia seemed to agree that though it'd be hard to be successful and virtuous simultaneously, that's the righteous path. They then concurred that the late boxing great Muhammad Ali was a magnificent person, implying that Ali had achieved tremendous success whilst also ensuring that he was a principled person.
Watch their discussion below (7:52):
#3 A warning about identifying your friends and enemies
Around the 42:14-minute mark of the 2021 interview with Patrick Bet-David, Mike Tyson referenced a quote he often uses. Now, you could point out that most of Tyson and other great fighters' quotes are somewhat inspired by warriors of old, perhaps even from ancient texts.
Nevertheless, it's Tyson who's often associated with the following quote. As highlighted in a post on his official Instagram handle in 2022, it read:
"Everybody who is fighting you isn't your enemy, and everybody who is helping you isn't your friend."
Of course, there are various iterations of the aforementioned Tyson quote, including the one with Bet-David where the wording was a tad different. Be that as it may, the underlying message remains unchanged.
This is something that Mike Tyson often warns people about. He implied that just because you may be fighting against someone over a certain issue, they aren't necessarily your enemy. One interpretation is that you might even argue with your loved ones, but that doesn't make them your enemy.
Conversely, you may find yourself in a situation wherein a malevolent enemy helps you. Help, by definition, makes it easier for you to achieve an objective, complete a task, or do something. Well, that very help could turn out to be a Trojan horse that your enemy gave you to benefit themselves and harm you.
Check out Mike Tyson's quote below:
Watch Tyson's explanation of the quote below:
#2 You can't be everyone's friend
Mike Tyson's autobiography, 'Undisputed Truth,' touched upon various facets of the combat sports megastar's personal and professional life. Published in 2013, it comprised a number of meaningful quotes that are tremendously impactful and nuanced.
One such quote, which Tyson later posted on the X (then-known as Twitter) social media platform, was as follows:
"A man who was friendly with everyone was an enemy to himself"
Many perceived this as Tyson's way of cautioning others against being a people pleaser, a person who strives to please others even if it's to their own detriment. Apparently, one of the legendary knockout artist's managers wanted him to be friendly with everyone.
However, Tyson knew that wasn't the ideal approach toward life.
#1 'Iron Mike' on the enigma that is time
It's quite ironic that we're discussing this particular quote, about time, today. Father Time has been the biggest talking point heading into the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson showdown. Many feel that Tyson is way past his athletic prime and too old.
They say he's putting himself in an unnecessarily dangerous situation against a young pugilist, while also being at a size disadvantage. Regardless, as Tyson once asserted:
"Another thing that freaks me out is time. Time is like a book. You have a beginning, a middle, and an end. It's just a cycle."
There's a beginning, a middle, and an end to every story. It's quite fitting that Tyson's boxing career, which many of us thought was done after he retired around 20 years ago, is revived in 2024 (even if it may be just for one fight!).
Time truly is a cycle, and this seems like an all-new cycle for 'Iron Mike.' Could this be the beginning of an entertaining stint or has time truly claimed another victim with the bane of aging? Well, no pun intended, but only time will tell.
Here's hoping Mike Tyson and Jake Paul both make it out safe and secure from their fight and certain alarming possibilities don't ring true.