While serving time behind bars, the heavyweight champion admitted he finally found inner peace.
Mike Tyson has been through a lot of highs and lows throughout his life.
And while many would consider a prison sentence one of the very lows, the legendary boxer has revealed his time spent behind bars were the best years of his life.
While appearing on The Pivot Podcast, the former boxer explained that while serving time, he finally found inner peace amidst his crazy life.
He said: “I’m just very grateful – I’m a cool guy, I’m a good person, I treated everybody nice. I had the best three years of my life in prison.”
When asked if he missed his flashy lifestyle, the heavyweight champion replied: “I had peace though.
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“That don’t mean nothing when you don’t have peace. Just sit there within your balance. You need your sanity to dictate any part of life.”
Tyson was sentenced to six years in Plainfield Correctional Facility and four years probation after being convicted of raping Desiree Washington in 1992.
He was released in 1995 as his sentence was reduced to three years.
Tyson revealed that despite being locked up, he kept up a disciplined workout routine to prepare for when he’d ultimately return to the ring.
He said that he would run ‘eight or nine miles’ in his cell, and he’d continuously jump up and down at night.
He added: “My cell has a concrete floor, right? I indented it with my feet into the concrete floor. I was 285 lbs (129 kg). I came out 215 lbs (97 kg).”
However, it wasn’t exactly all smooth sailing for the 56-year-old, as he revealed he had extended his sentence by a year for attacking a guard.
On the Hotboxin’ podcast, he said: “I got an extra year. When I first came there, I was mad at everybody, I didn’t know they all wanted to show me love, so I’m fighting the guards and stuff but then the guards were telling me how to move.
“So, now I’m the man, I am getting food, got women, I am the man in prison.”
He continued: “But then the guard that was working for me goes like, ‘Listen champ, remember when you first came here?’.
“You had those problems, we had to give you a year. I said ‘oh f**kng s**t how could they do this s**t?’ I gave them my money and they gave me another year?’
“So I had to go on programmes that I could never pass, spelling and stuff.”
However, Tyson’s career didn’t suffer, as he went on to win four fights and even reclaimed the heavyweight championship after he was released.
But in 2005, ‘Iron Mike’ finally retired.
He told The Guardian at the time: “I’d liked to have continued, but I saw that I was getting beat on.
“I just don’t have this in my heart anymore. I’m not going to disrespect the sport by losing to this calibre of fighter. This is my ending.”
