Mike Tyson Is Not Afraid To Die

For many of us, hearing one utter the name Mike Tyson still evokes an almost ethereal mental response. We know when we hear that name, fear and pain are near... and seemingly nothing can stop it. After all, if you were crazy enough to get in the boxing ring with Mike Tyson in the 80’s, I hope you were smart enough to book your hospital appointment before the first bell. Mike Tyson was a one man knockout machine capable of viciously knocking any man down within the first round of a fight. It could be argued that had he not gone to prison in the middle of his career, he may have been the greatest boxer of all time. In his prime, he could not be beat. Everyone knows this.

But now, it appears Mike Tyson has finally met a foe he can’t beat. He’s not afraid but he acknowledges and respects this adversary... Time. After delving into Mike Tyson’s recent interview with the Sportsman, I couldn’t help but notice how Mike’s tenacity to inflict pain has given way to wisdom, his memory of his heroics have been replaced with emptiness, and he no longer fears death... he accepts it. This doesn’t sound like the Mike Tyson I knew... a man who looked through you.... a man who could knock the soul out of you. It can’t be the same person who bit Holyfield... a man who even out of the ring evoked fear and wonder at every place he showed up at.... Right?

That’s when I looked in his eyes and noticed that the death stare he used to possess was gone.... and the arrogance, the brutality, and the desire to hurt people was gone. He had accepted his reality... his current existence, and mortality. Youth, immortality, and violence have given way to Age, wisdom, and discernment.