"You can see the youthfulness leave her" — Internet reacts to Mike Tyson telling a young TikToker legacy doesn't matter because "I'm gonna die"
Legendary heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson recently told a young TikToker that his legacy will not matter as everyone eventually dies. Tyson explained that he doesn't believe in legacy, when the young girl questioned him about the same.
In a viral video this week, a young female TikToker was seen interviewing Mike Tyson ahead of his much-anticipated face-off with Jake Paul. The girl expressed her excitement about seeing Tyson fight as a part of the new generation and asked the boxing champion what kind of legacy he would like to leave behind. Tyson responded:
"I don't believe in the word legacy. I think that's another word for ego. Legacy means nothing, it's just a word everyone grabbed onto. (...) It means nothing to me. I'm just a guy passing through. I'm gonna die and then it's gonna be over. Who cares about legacy after that? We're dead, we're dust. We're absolutely nothing. Legacy is nothing."
Fans took to X (formerly Twitter) to react to Tyson's response, with many joking about him saying this to a young person. One X user commented:
"You can see the youthfulness leave her during that interview. Also who thought itd be a brilliant idea for a child to interview Tyson."
"thats the realest thing she will ever hear," another fan wrote.
"Legacy means nothing to me - I'm just a guy passing through. Probably a great way to think about things," a third user opined.
Some of the other reactions were as follows:
"Lil girl: what do you want your legacy to be” *he just looks into her eyes* and says“legacy don’t mean nothing to me, we’re all gonna die. We’re dust”," a netizen joked.
"This is how I talk to my coworkers," a fan jibed.
"After the Hasbullah incident he assumes anyone that comes to him that’s mic’d up has Benjamin button," a user added.
Nine years after his retirement in June 2005, Mike Tyson is set to return to the ring to face Jake Paul on November 15, 2024 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The event will be streamed exclusively on Netflix.
Everything to know about Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight
Mike Tyson is set to return to the ring after nine years since his retirement on November 15, 2024. The former boxing champion will face Jake Paul. The main card for the event starts at 8 PM E.T but the exact time of the Tyson vs. Paul fight will be determined based on the events coming before it.
According to BetMGM, Jake Paul is a favorite to win the heavyweight fight at -190 odds. Tyson is an underdog with +188. The odds opened months ago with Paul being a -275 favorite. However, since then, multiple people have bet their money on Tyson. BetMGM representative Jack Kirvin told USA Today that 76% people who purchased tickets bet their money on Tyson.
Mike Tyson's last competitive boxing fight took place in June 2005. It ended with a a sixth-round TKO against Kevin McBride. He most recently also faced Roy Jones Jr. in November 2020 in an exhibition, which ended it a draw. Meanwhile, Jake Paul's last competitive match came on July 20, 2024 against Mike Perry.
Mike Tyson was originally supposed to face Jake Paul on July 20 but he suffered from an ulcer flairup, leading to the event being posponed to November 15.
The Tyson vs. Paul fight will have eight two-minute rounds instead of the usual 10-12 rounds of three minutes each. They will also wear heavier 14-ounce gloves instead of the usual 10-ounce gloves.
Mike Tyson's game against Jake Paul is one of the most anticipated fights in heavyweight boxing, with the former widely considered among the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. Tyson holds a career record of 50-6 with 44 knockouts. He notably began his career with 37 wins before his first loss. 33 of these games were knockouts.
From 1987 to 1990, Tyson was the undisputed world heavyweight champion. He won his first belt at the age of 20, becoming the youngest boxer to win a heavyweight title. He was also the first heavyweight boxer to hold all three of the WBA, WBC and IBF titles and unify them in succession.
Meanwhile, Jake Paul holds a 10-1 career record so far. His only loss came in February 2023 due to a split decision by Tommy Fury. The Paul vs. Tyson fight purse is reportedly valued at $80 million, as per Sporting News.