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During Mike Tyson's time as heavyweight champion, it was clear that he was showcasing the aggression from his childhood in his fights. The legendary fighter grew up in poverty and was surrounded by crime until he was introduced to boxing, which saved his life.
The American was arrested on several occasions as a child due to street fighting, robberies and more. Tyson has revealed in the past that by the time he was 12 years old, he had already been arrested around 40 times.
On his Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson podcast, the former fighter explained what he was doing as a young child:
"I didn't go to school, I robbed people. I went straight to the bank... I went to school, I stayed in the principal's office, so I basically left school. Only came to school to eat lunch, then I left again, picking pockets and robbing houses. That's what it was like, that's what my life was like. I didn't want to stay on the fence."
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Tyson then spoke about when he found boxing:
"Yeah, when I was 12. So, I had a great criminal career until I was 12... I lost my street rep[utation] when I was 12."
Watch the full podcast here:
How old was Mike Tyson when he began his professional boxing career?
Tyson competed as a professional from 1985 to 2005 and made his debut at the age of 18. His first fight came against Hector Mercedes (0-3), where he knocked out the Puerto Rican in the first round.
It's well known that Tyson was sparring with fully grown adults from the age of 15 and was already showing his explosive nature. His trainer Cus D'Amato also had to enter him into amateur bouts against men by faking Tyson's age, due to the other 15-year-olds being too easy.
'Iron Mike' then went on to become the youngest-ever heavyweight world champion. He beat then-WBC Heavyweight Champion Trevor Berbick at the age of 20 in 1986. He followed it up by unifying the heavyweight titles. Tyson won the WBA and IBF Titles by beating James Smith and Tony Tucker, respectively, the year after.
Watch Mike Tyson vs. Trevor Berbick here:
