Mike Tyson‘s childhood was full of hardships, and he was raised by his mother and more importantly the mean streets of Brownsville, New York. From a very early age, he got himself embroiled in street fights and petty theft. Before he turned 14, he had been arrested 38 times, all before his encounter with his lifelong mentor, Cus D’Amato. But he endured all of it and went on to become the most fearful heavyweight boxer in the 80s and 90s.

And rising from such a tough environment, Tyson has agreed that he wouldn’t be in this position if he had never met people like Bobby Stewart and Cus D’Amato. A lot of times, he even reminisces about his time with D’Amato. But simultaneously, the ‘Dynamite Kid’ also puts conscious efforts into never forgetting his roots, and he has shed light on this in his recent interview for a magazine column.

Mike Tyson talks about his old friends

After, talking about Tyson’s career, the Cigar & Spirits Magazine interviewers asked him whether he could’ve imagined during his childhood that he’d become the heavyweight champion. Tyson replied, “I know that I’m in a position to help people now.” Then the interviewer expanded on that statement and tried to confirm from ‘Kid Dynamite’ that he wants to give back to people as much as he can.

So, Tyson stated that people don’t like that he is associated with “crime-infested” guys from his neighborhood. After the interviewer prodded him for the reasons he is still associated with such people, he continued, “I said, ‘This guy lives in the same building that I live in. His mother and my mother smoked cigarettes. They exchanged cigarettes together.’” He added that this is the reason he tries to stay connected.