Mike Tyson compares his early days in boxing to a girl’s first period and questions whether he suffered mental breakdown

Published

26th December 2020

MIKE TYSON has likened his early days in boxing to a young girl experiencing her first period.

No fighter has shot to stardom quite like the American, 54, who retains the record as the youngest-ever world heavyweight champion.

Mike Tyson has opened up on the ‘mental breakdown’ he suffered in the 1980s

The heavyweight legend rose to prominence while still a teenager

In just over 18 months as a professional, Iron Mike won 28 fights and claimed his first heavyweight belt.

But his conduct out of the ring quickly drew significant attention and Tyson looks back on the time as something of a ‘mental breakdown’.

He told VladTV: “That stage in my life, I was dealing from a point of view of suffering, no self love.

“I was going through so many periods of my life during that time.

“In my professional boxing career, I was going through my growing period.

“Almost like a young girl having her period for the first time – everything is off-limits.

“It’s almost like you feel you own everything, you have no one to talk to, you don’t want feel nothing from nobody.

“I don’t know maybe it was a mental breakdown.”

Tyson battled several problems outside of the ring during a stunning boxing career, including a rape conviction and drug addiction.

He recently returned in a comeback clash against fellow veteran Roy Jones Jr, which ended in a draw.

Asked on his opinion of the greatest fighters of all-time, in a Mount Rushmore of boxing, the former champ insisted it was too hard to choose.

He continued: “Too many, I can’t do that.

“You want them up there, but you put those four guys on Mount Rushmore, right?

“And now name some great fighters and, ‘Ooo that guy should be up there’.

“You say this guy does this, this guy does that – woah! Different areas, different styles…”