Fri 30 Jul 2010
Mike Tyson opens up to Sports Illustrated: “We would go out and get high, till 11 o’clock [p.m.]”
Posted by Mikey Fresh under Quotes[12] Comments
Mikey: Sports Illustrated’s Pablo Torre was granted an incredibly honest and revealing interview with Iron Mike Tyson this past Spring. Over the course of 2 days and 8 hours, Torre was given the intimate details of Mike’s struggles with drugs, women, and the trials and tribulations brought on by his rise to fame. Check out a few excerpts below. (Props B.Dot/RR)
SI: I imagine you have a few stories from your days as a junkie.
Mike Tyson: Listen: I was in St. Tropez, in the South of France. In Ibiza, Spain. I was in Monte Carlo. I was in the Ukraine, Russia, all those places, for three months. From Russia I went to Lisbon, Portgual, from Portugal I went to Amsterdam. In Amsterdam I met this drug dealer, right? And he sees that I like getting high, and he wants to be my buddy, right? This guy goes and gets me a big rock of cocaine. So pretty soon I got a party going on. I got everything: I got these rugby players. I got these naked girls, I got all these … everything’s going on in the room. Plus I also had this girl with me that I picked up in Romania. But then [the dealer he met in Amsterdam] saw how much of a mess I was. He came in and kicked everybody out of my room! All the nude people, all the people having sex. He said, “I feel so bad I ever gave him that stuff.” (Continued after the jump)
SI: How about in Las Vegas? What would your typical day in Vegas be like?
Tyson: This is how the day would start: I would go to a club, at say, 2 o’clock [a.m.]. Hang out there for what, two hours, and then I’d go to the after-hours [clubs], that start at 6 o’clock [a.m.]. So I’d stay there from 6 in the morning to 7:30 at night. I’d be sitting down and drinking and doing cocaine, talking to girls … doing anything. Everything. Then I make it home and I’m tripping out at home. I’m calling people, I’m tired, but I’ve got people coming in and we’re making plans to go out a few hours later. We’re getting high, staying up, [doing] cocaine. Somebody would be calling me: “Come hang out with me.” So we would go out and get high, till 11 o’clock [p.m.] or something, then go somewhere, to a bar or somewhere. We might go to a club, then get high all day long.
SI: You got involved with prostitutes.
Tyson: Listen, I was living a crazy life. A [prostitute] would go, “There’s that guy who hit me the other day, who took money from me the other day, who intimidated me.” And [that guy] had to give some money up. [I’d say,] “This is my girl, man. She works for me now. This is my girl now.” That’s how it was. I wanted to show loyalty to these people. I was so stupid. I’d say, “If you have a problem, just let me know.” And all these guys would say, “What’s Mike Tyson going to do [to me]?” It was always like that until I got in their f—–‘ ass. I’m a nice man, but back then, I wasn’t. I’m not proud of it.
July 30th, 2010 at 10:50 am
There is really 2 emotions as a fan..The first is wow this guy fucked up his life being dumb I have no feelings for his decline what so ever!!! Then there is the part of you that says he was used..
At the end of the day this is the type of very early mid life crisis type shit that all of those super star teens go through… Just think about Agassi book and others.. Tyson is no different those guys just had better business managers..
God bless the dude.. I still dont think he raped that trick!! As fuucked up as he is I’m still not buying!
July 30th, 2010 at 11:14 am
people forget that before he became the icon in the ring, the brother was a little boy, from a broken up family, he had to hustle, a sweet natured soul on some rough ass streets.
when you see him now, even back when he was wildin’ – he was a grown ass kid, with muscles and money.
honry women lusted after his name and body, brothers lusted after his wealth, the media lusted after headlines to push their papers to the top of the pile, they all took advantage of a man who was desperate to find some genuine affection – but found nothing but hollow riches wall him into the spotlight.
People shouldn’t be so fucking quick to judge, I’d like to see if they’d live through such trials in life if they were in Tysons position.
The media and the people made ‘the monster,’ but behind the mask we’re seeing Mike is still that sweet kid struggling to trust someone with his heart, which has been broken and put together way too many times.
Love and respect T – you’ve soldiered through life’s most troublesome and heavy trials. Take a rest my man. You more than earned it.
July 30th, 2010 at 11:30 am
Yeah man I watched that Tyson documentary and I came away feeling like he was a very conflicted person with the need to be liked. Mix that with millions made overnight and little education and you’ve created a monster. Thats the problem with giving these athletes so much money at such a young age.
July 30th, 2010 at 1:28 pm
We all come from broken homes and no money, big fucking deal… We just dont have the luxury of melting down in public.
There is no doubt in my mind that the people who attack Tyson couldnt last one fcking second in his shoes or even begin to understand how hard it is trying to be yourself while everyone else demands something totally different of you… Try balancing that with a grammar school education and an elementary level of impulse control and see what you get… Considering all of that and the fact that he’s still alive and you have to admire him but feeling sorry for him is not an option!
He lived more of a life then I will ever live and he had fun spending every last penny that actually made it to his hands after he was robed… So shit I dont feel sorry for dude!
July 30th, 2010 at 1:37 pm
Tyson had an awesome opportunity to as Jim Jones said about Jay Z “Do the unthinkable” and with that he did the “Unthinkable” fuched it all up. I am happy he turned his life around. I remember him giving out Turkey’s from his biege Bently on the corner of my block. He was a hero, but all of our heroes some how get vilified and torn down. Honestly he gave the world a lot of amunition against himself. I am a forever fan of Iron Mike…
July 30th, 2010 at 2:05 pm
I’m a fan of his story specifically because of his highs and lows. I dont idolize him but I’m fascinated. And I do think its most compelling because he was, like u said, his own worst enemy. Which we all either relate to or pride ourselves on avoiding.
July 30th, 2010 at 2:48 pm
That deep. A lot of folks back in the day, especially the haters, kept saying he’ll be dead by 30. I glad he trying to keep it together but it’s tough. We all know the dude like him around the way (without the $$$) that was Debo for a while, tried to chill & went back & forth doing good & bad because of his surroundings. He had a positive interview on Yankeeography that showed the other night that was pretty good. And Mike got a humorous side to him as well! (hilarious in “The Hangover”!)
July 30th, 2010 at 8:52 pm
Mike Tyson was my idol growing up because I wanted to be a boxer so I used to stay up hiding underneath the dining room table to watch all his fights as a kid because usually they only lasted 3min. So to see him at his peak and then hit rock bottom is sad to me to be quite honest.
When you have all that money everybody tries to be your best friend and even ur true friends will use u even if they don’t mean to in their time of need.
It’s similar to MC Hammer story people laugh at him because he went broke but he went broke trying to help his friends and family come up at 1 point he was spending 1 Million/month just on up keeping his extended family.
So when I see people like Jay-Z who let themselves be used to an extent say enough and deal with the consequences I applaud him. If you look at old Rocafella footage Jay-Z wasn’t the loudest in the camp smoking and drinking usually it was other people doing it on his dime. I’ve heard Peedi Crack say he spent 800k on hotels and parties etc and had an album budget of only 250K and allegedly Dame gave them the go ahead to do so, smh. So it makes sense to cut them off even if you came up together because their sense of entitlement will be the reason u end up going down again.
I think Jay-Z, Diddy and 50 Cent etc should keep a short list of people they look after and let the rest hate u because u can’t please everybody and some fans expect rich people to be an open check book because they feel they have more than they need and it irritates me.
July 30th, 2010 at 10:20 pm
tyson didn’t rape her that ho came out a couple years back and said he didn’t do it. i am thinking why didn’t she go to jail for lying like that. she basically went to his room late at nigth but didn’t do nothing but everyone thought she did so she said that to protect her reputation or some shit.
July 30th, 2010 at 10:34 pm
i have watched alot of stuff on tyson and yes he was grown with all that money and was making stupid choices but he was fucked up mentally. if you looked at his early fights the people around him molded him and kept his mind right. made him train hard at all times kept him with a humble attitude. even when killing another fighter tyson would go over hug the man the man and kiss him on the cheek after the fight. the post fight interview thank the fighter for fighting him. when he got wih don king he made mike feel like he was untouchable he could spend as much as he wants. he could do whatever he wanted he was the champ. also tyson was on meds to calm his anger. i remember in one interview he said why you think i have such crazy mood swings. i am on stuff that calms me down in a agressive sport. i do interviews when i am on it and when i get off it i am like another person. i am glad he turned his life around his part in the hangover was great. boxing needs someone like tyson again that fought anybody that wanted to unify belts. like evander that is why boxing is losing to mma. in any mma fedaration in each weight divison ther eis one belt. you are either champ or chump boxing should do that
July 31st, 2010 at 6:10 am
Regardless of his own personal trials and tribulations, in the ring, he is legend
July 31st, 2010 at 10:19 am
i use to play mike tysons punch out every day when i first got it , as a kid , he was a living super hero to me ( this is before he lost to buster douglas ) . as i got older it was just wild to see how it all went bad for him , but as a man , i am glad he didnt die like most ppl would have. i feel for him. some times the craziest fight we’ll ever have is in our own minds.