Mike Tyson has never been one to hold his tongue, but you’d think while interviewing with a 13-year-old reporter, his fatherly voice might want to kick in…. but no.
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While backstage, leading up to a Friday Nov. 15 fight with YouTuber Jake Paul, boxing legend Tyson made some time for a brief but not-so-sweet interview with Jazzy, the superstar kid journalist who’s made a name for herself interviewing celebrities like Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, and Jay-Z. Known for her thoughtful questions and bubbly personality, Jazzy innocently asked Tyson about “legacy,” and oh man, no one could’ve predicted his answer.
“After such a successful career, what type of legacy would you like to leave behind when it’s all said and done?” Jazzy asked Tyson. The 58-year-old boxer is deemed one of the greats of all time. With a one-of-a-kind face tattoo and notorious ear-biting history, Tyson’s name rings bell in both the sports world and the pop culture world.
Mike Tyson and Jake Paul faceoff during Weigh-In at the Toyota Music Factory in Irving, Texas on November 14, 2024 ahead of their match for heavyweight world titles of the Premiere Boxing Championship which will be on November 15 Friday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, United StatesPhoto: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu (Getty Images)
In response to Jazzy, Tyson bleakly said “well, I don’t know. I don’t believe in the word ‘legacy.’ I just think that’s just another word for ‘ego,’” he said. Way to put it bluntly, Mike.
The boxer didn’t stop there. He continued to Jazzy saying “Legacy doesn’t mean nothing… It means absolutely nothing to me.” For a man with a 50-6 boxing record and 44 recorded knockouts, his response comes as a surprise…. but Tyson had even more to say, and this is where it gets chilling.
“I’m just passing through,” he continued. “I’ma die and it’s gonna be over. Who cares about legacy after that?” he said all while looking destitute Jazzy in the eye. “We’re nothing,” Tyson continued. “We’re just dead. We’re just dust. We’re absolutely nothing. Our legacy is nothing.”
Now, with his first professional fight in 20 years quickly approaching, maybe Tyson was just laser focused on his plans to beat his younger opponent, Paul. But I mean, what do you say in response to that?!?
Jazzy kept her frigid, calmly nodding to his responses. After Tyson was finished, she said “well, thank you so much for sharing that. That is something that I have not heard before.” Yeah, Jazzy, neither have we!
Tyson went even further telling Jazzy “You’re dead. You think anyone really wants to think about you?” Although he acknowledged his children and grandchildren will likely keep him in mind, Tyson clearly doesn’t care about the rest of the world’s opinion on the matter.
Already, the match is shaping up to be a heated one, with Tyson just yesterday slapping Paul in the face during weigh ins.
