By Mark Vester
It appears the bad boy of boxing has begun to calm down with age. No longer the same man who crippled opponents in the ring, and rolled over anyone that got in his way outside the ring.
Tyson tells ABC News in a very personal interview, that he is no longer the same man people remember. He was the youngest fighter to ever capture the heavyweight title, generated hundreds of millions of dollars, and lost everything along the way. Now he is 40-years-old, millions of dollars in debt and trying to get on with his life.
"I'm no 'Iron Mike' getting ready to conquer the world again," he says. "That's not who I am. It doesn't mean that much to me anymore. You lose the people you love, your things, cars, tangible things and that's truly what I believe. Everybody says, 'He who dies with the most toys wins,' but that's just truly not a great substance. I'm not that guy anymore.”
Currently training for an exhibition bout tour, on the mezzanine level of the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, Tyson says that fans show up every day with the hopes of finding the wild version of himself that is no longer there.
"I think these guys are looking to see somebody that no longer exists anymore," Tyson says. "It's my attitude. If I was Mike Tyson … had my facade on … I'd be talking bad to some people, being tough. I'm just not that guy anymore. At least, I'm trying to exit myself from that person."
"I want to change," he continues. "I want to run away from that guy, but they want to pull that guy back out of me."
Although he is training for some exhibition bouts, Tyson says that he is never going to fight again. Fans of all ages approach him on a daily basis asking for his return to the sport. Tyson says fighting is what brings out his inner rage and wild antics.
"You find guys come here, 'Mike, you want to fight Holyfield again?'" Tyson shares. "I don't want to fight nobody. I'm just trying to make a buck without getting splashed, without hitting anybody. I'm just a simple man now.“
"I'm just so happy I'm not fighting. Fighting turns me that way. It's just so ironic. When people see me, they smile and then I think that's what they want. They want me to curse them out. People want me to grab my crotch. Be that tough guy. That's so ironic. I don't know."
