"You are a scared little boy sometimes" - Therapist reveals how Mike Tyson was afraid and needed help
Mike Tyson has intimidated opponents throughout the entirety of his boxing career. He was regarded as ‘The Baddest Man On The Planet’ for inspiring terror in his rivals via his highlight reel KOs. However, ‘Iron’ Mike had a different side to him as well.
Tyson is not new to the feeling of being afraid—he believes that he has accepted fear several times in the past. The latest episode of the HotBoxin' podcast produced more insight into Tyson's element of fear. 'Iron Mike's therapist, Sean McFarland (also known as 'Seano'), appeared on the podcast and revealed several facts about Mike Tyson.
Seano detailed how he aided Mike Tyson at his lowest point in life when the boxer wasn't following a healthy regiment. When asked to be honest about Tyson, the therapist said:
“You are a scared little boy sometimes.”
Seano further revealed how he confronted Tyson’s fear and helped the former champion deal with it. He added:
“Michael would say to me you know, ‘My head screams to me when I walk into the restaurant. Everyone’s yelling "this big fat bum"’ at the end. So, Michael and I came up with the system that we are at a restaurant, movie, anywhere. He would tap me, and I would know that he was scared and overwhelmed.”
Seano claimed to have shown love towards ‘Iron’ Mike on such occasions. He discussed mental health and its importance throughout the episode. After all, this isn’t the first time fans have seen this side of Tyson.
Mike Tyson once talked about his fears with Claressa Shields
In another episode of the HotBoxin' podcast, Claressa Shields asked Tyson about an interesting incident. Many have said that Tyson cried before all of his fights, and Shields enquired about the same. Mike Tyson accepted and said he cried in almost all of his pre-fights.
Check out the HotBoxin' podcast with Claressa Shields below:
When asked about the reason, Tyson cited fear. Obviously, the in-ring results produced different outcomes than what Tyson might have expected given his turbulent emotions. In a career with 50 wins and 6 losses, Tyson scored 44 KOs. He is still the youngest heavyweight world champion.
Tyson lived an extravagant lifestyle, even outside the ring—his personal life is still one of the most talked about factors in the entire sporting community. Such was Tyson’s aura that even filmmakers have picked up his life story to be put on the silver screen.