Mike Tyson claims death of mother "one of best things to happen to him”

The outspoken former boxer Mike Tyson has claimed his mother dying was one of the best things to ever happen to him.

Tyson was 16 when his mother, Lorna Smith Tyson, died of cancer. His father had abandoned them in their family home in Brownsville, Brooklyn, when he was just two.

Yet, in a recent interview with Shannon Sharpe on the Club Shay Shay podcast, Tyson stated that had things been different he never would have become a champion.

“One of the best things that ever happened to me is that my mother died. My mother would have babied me. There is no way I would have ever got into a street fight, no way I ever would have learned to stand up for myself.”

This is despite Tyson having been arrested on multiple occasions before he was 14, at which point he claims to have known he had what it takes to become heavyweight champion.

Significantly, after his mother’s death, Tyson was left in the custody of his legendary boxing trainer Cus D’Amato.

Cus D‘Amato was my Galactus and I was his Silver Surfer. Happy Birthday Cus D’Amato. To commemorate this great man, we are dropping this limited edition tee, the first piece of the Mike Tyson Boxing Club capsule. Only 150 available. https://t.co/s2iNJqnqrT pic.twitter.com/lIBEBw2NXj

The Brooklyn-born boxer credited his mentor for guiding him to success in the fight world, and went on to say, “he always told me that one day I would be a great.”

Cus sadly died in 1985, soon after his most prized student had broken onto the scene, therefore never saw what he would go on to achieve in the sport.

‘Iron Mike’ became the youngest heavyweight champion in history at just 20-years-old. A year later in 1987, he claimed the other two belts in the division and became the undisputed World