13-year-old Mike Tyson entered the camp 38 times, becoming a “gypsy” when his mother died

13-year-old Mike Tyson entered the camp 38 times, becoming a “gypsy” when his mother died

Before becoming a boxing legend, Mike Tyson spent his childhood as a “thief’s tail”.

Lorna Tyson died of cancer in 1982, three years before her son (Mike Tyson) became a professional boxer. The 55-year-old boxing legend grew up in Brownsville, a crime-ridden neighborhood in America. Tyson had a difficult life, but it was also the charm that made him the sassiest puncher in history.

Mike Tyson has been a “street helper” child since childhood

Tyson grew up without the education of his father Purcell Tyson, he lived with his uncle Jimmy Kirkpatrick and mother.

Tyson later said of Kirkpatrick: “My stepfather was just a normal guy, but caught up in the street world.”

As a teenager, Tyson played with bad friends, linked up with local gangs, and got himself into a lot of trouble. Tyson was ridiculed by other kids for having a high-pitched voice and lisp, which was the germ of “The Steel Puncher” who regularly fought in the streets.

Notably, before turning 13, Tyson was arrested about 38 times and repeatedly sent to a school for unruly minors.

Speaking about his mum, former heavyweight champion Tyson told ShayShay Club: “I’ve never seen her happy or proud of me. All she knew was that I was a naïve kid wandering the streets, coming home with new clothes that she knew I didn’t use money to buy.

I never had a chance to talk to my mom so I didn’t understand her. It basically didn’t hurt, but it made me have no feelings for my mother.”

The 55-year-old was not sad but even happy when his mother died: “You know, one of the best things that ever happened to me was the moment my mum passed away. Because my mom would forbid me if she knew I was involved in a street fight and doing other crazy things.”

The time spent living in the “gypsy” style on the street turned Mike Tyson into a scary man on the street, and that was the foundation for Tyson to boxing, and later became a “notorious” legend.