Mike Tyson said he was ‘drinking, gorging on food, and f—— women’ when he was ‘out of control’ before filing for bankruptcy in 2003
by Alan Dawson
- Mike Tyson said drinking, eating, and having sex to excess were the reasons for his financial downfall in 2003.
- Tyson bought mansions, fast cars, and Bengal tigers before filing for bankruptcy, owing $23 million.
- “Orgies … I was crazy,” Tyson said. “I was so sick and I had no idea I was so sick. I bought a lot of cars for girls, too.”
- Tyson went on to become a millionaire for a second time, with a reported net worth of $3 million because of his acting roles, 40-acre marijuana farm, and his popular podcast “Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson.”
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Mike Tyson appears to blame women for leading him down a path toward bankruptcy during his fighting days.
CNN reported that the American, who became boxing’s youngest heavyweight world champion aged 20 in 1986, earned approximately $300 million from his historic run which included victories over Trevor Berbick, Larry Holmes, and Michael Spinks.
But he lost it all by 2003 and was even $23 million in debt, according to CNN, after too many extravagant purchases which had included mansions, fast cars, and Bengal tigers.
Speaking recently on his “Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson” podcast, Tyson reflected on a lifestyle which he couldn’t live – or keep up with – today.
“You can’t f— girls like you used to when you were young,” Tyson said, according to Boxing Scene.
“You can’t be having b—— around like you do when you were young. They f— up money, I didn’t know that. They were fun then, but when you’re older they aint fun no more. F—— all day aint fun no more, you want some f—— money, you know what I mean.”
Tyson went on: “Giving people money like f— everybody, party with everybody, and f— their mothers, their sisters, and their cousins… Orgies. I was crazy. I was so sick and I had no idea I was so sick. I bought a lot of cars for girls too.
“I was out of control drinking, gorging on food, f—— women.”
Tyson’s former manager, Rory Holloway, once said no man could beat Tyson in the ring, but that a downfall around women always seemed inevitable.
“The only reason he may not go down as the best is because of his weakness for women,” Boxing Scene quote Holloway to have said. “Every decision he made was around women and sex. I knew it would catch up with him, and it did.”
How Mike Tyson became a millionaire a second time around
Tyson only fought twice after filing bankruptcy, suffering lopsided knockout losses back-to-back.
But through acting in Hollywood for roles in “The Hangover,” “Entourage,” and “Ip-Man 3,” building a 40-acre marijuana farm called Tyson Ranch, and hosting a popular podcast, Tyson is once again a millionaire, with a potential net worth of $3 million, Yahoo Finance reported.
Tyson also released two books: a 2014 memoir called “Undisputed Truth” and the 2017 book “Iron Ambition: My Life with Cus D’Amato,” which details his relationship with his early mentor and boxing coach.
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