MIKE TYSON swaggers into a loft room high above the streets of London, his face a perverse image of contentment. That iconic tattoo, engraved during troubled times, is no longer the first thing you notice. It?s his smile.
?I didn?t think I?d get to old age,? the 46-year-old says. ?I knew I?d be champion and all the stuff that came with it. I?m not in old age now but I realise I?ve gotten older, I realise I?ve changed. I think differently to how I did when I was younger. It?s not all about me. I?m small in the scheme of things, different things are important. My children are the biggest. I have to watch the kids, I can?t get a maid to do it, I have to watch the kids until my wife comes back.?
He laughs, aware his words couldn?t be further from the violence he used to spit. The anger may have left Tyson but memories of his past still shape our perceptions of him. It would be of little surprise if he suddenly sprang from his seat and launched a table through the window.
Thankfully, though, the good feeling remains. The fact that Tyson was 90 minutes late, apparently being driven around a busy Piccadilly Circus in a bus hunting for a suitable parking space, is of no consequence. The man who spent so long seeking destruction ? in and out of the ring ? is now a father, and grateful for survival.
He admits it took a while to find the peace within.
?Boxing is a hard high to replace,? he explains. ?I might turn to drugs to replace that adrenalin, that rush, but, even if you?re on the losing end, you can?t replace this stuff. You have to get to grips with yourself and be truthful with yourself. Let?s start with something else; work on becoming a better person, becoming a better family man.
?It sounds so clich?d and full of shit but this is the way to do it and this is how I?ve done it. I?ve looked down on people all my life, but I?ve realised you become what you?ve always mocked.?
The years he spent in despair ? many of which his own doing ? have taught him how to behave. It would be na?ve to presume Tyson?s demons have disappeared, but he?s determined to control them. Perhaps we shouldn?t put him on a pedestal considering his sordid past, but it is hard not to feel admiration for the way he resists disaster. He is now a philosopher for the changing man.
?If you?re not humble in this world, the world will thrust humbleness upon you,? Tyson says, his wispy voice a far better fit for his new persona than in his days as the baddest man on the planet.
The boxing landscape has changed since Tyson was around. Two Ukrainian brothers, Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, now rule the heavyweight division. They have been accused of being boring but Tyson ? undoubtedly one of the most ruthless and exciting fighters in history ? admires their quality.
?Today?s heavyweight scene is good but it?s not like what people are used to. They?re used to a lot of excitement, a lot of drama ? it was almost like a soap opera when we were fighting. Today it?s very calm, it?s very serene because the champions are that way. The Klitschkos are great fighters and you can?t take that away from them, you can?t blame them; they have beaten everybody in the division. We used to be just like a group of rambunctious fighters but the Klitschkos are different, we just have to get used to that.?
Many would pick the Tyson of old, that savage ring predator, to walk through the Klitschkos if he was active today. But the former champion isn?t so sure.
?Listen,? he instructs unnecessarily. ?They [Klitschkos] would be tough for anybody to fight. I know people hate to believe this but they?re tough for anybody. We don?t always want to believe it. We get stuck on apple pie in our era. We like Chuck Berry, we like Elvis Presley. We like those guys more than the guys that are around now. People get better as men, from the cavemen to now. We are supposed to get better. From the 80s to now, we?ve got better. We?ve got more technology, more people are made, we get more money, the world is bigger, and we become better. So these guys would be difficult to beat for anybody that came before.?
So far, boxing history has been kind to Tyson ? he is rightfully widely regarded as one of the best heavyweights of all time. His spell from 1986 to 1990 as leader of the sport was as thrilling and brutal as any other spell in history. But just when it seemed Mike Tyson was going to be champion forever, he lost his way, drawn away from the dedication required to be a master. He will never be considered the greatest, not even close. But he could have achieved so much more, given his ability and the talent that emerged in the nineties.
Even so, Tyson would not change a single mistake. They are the reason he sits here today.
?I have no regrets,? he says. ?If I had regrets I wouldn?t have the purity and the happiness I have now. If I hadn?t had all those fights, if I hadn?t been on prison, bit [Evander] Holyfied?s ear, my life would be miserable. I?m so happy right now.?
