Former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson has described his time in prison as ‘the best three years of my life.’
At 56 years of age, Tyson is a much different person compared to his crazy days as a youth.
As a youngster, Tyson spent a fair bit of time in juvenile detention centres, which led him to start boxing.
His introduction to the sport of boxing, and to trainer Cus D’Amato, had a major impact on his life and saw him avoid serious trouble with the law.
However, in 1992, Tyson career took a turn as he sentenced to three years in prison
Speaking on his experiences in prison, Tyson said on The Pivot podcast: “I’m just very grateful – I’m a cool guy, I’m a good person, I treated everybody nice.
Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson is escorted from the courthouse February 5 after being sentenced to one year in jail for assaulting two motorists last August after a minor traffic accident. Tyson's sentence could torpedo his attempt at a comeback by jeopardizing his boxing license with the Nevada State Athletic Commission and risking a parole violation that could mean four more years in an Indiana prison. PP05060142 ELD/RC/CLH/
“I had the best three years of my life in prison.”
When asked if he missed his millions, Tyson responded: “I had peace though.
“That don’t mean nothing when you don’t have peace. Just sit there within your balance. You need your sanity to dictate any part of life.”
Even behind bars, Tyson was still maintaining an impressive training routine as he looked to return to the ring following his release.
“I was doing running,” he explained, “Doing eight or nine miles around. And at night time I would run for four hours, just in my room.
Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson is placed in a Montgomery County Sherrif's Dept. van February 5 after being sentenced to one year in jail for assaulting two motorists last August after a minor traffic accident. Tyson's sentence could torpedo his attempt at a comeback by jeopardizing his boxing license with the Nevada State Athletic Commission and risking a parole violation that could mean four more years in an Indiana prison.
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“I would jump and stuff, just jumping up. My cell has a concrete floor, right. I indented it with my feet into the concrete floor. I was 285lbs. I came out 215lbs.”
In the end, he earned himself an early release in 1995 and immediately returned to the ring.
His training inside certainly paid off. He would earn a quick victory over Peter McNeeley on his return.
When asked how the win felt, Tyson said: “Yeah, it was, ‘I’m back from prison motherf***ers, y’all didn’t break me.
“My ego was going crazy and stuff. Everybody was talking, ‘Mike is over, he’s in prison, nobody ever came back from prison and was the same guy.’ I just wanted to change their minds.”
So, running around his cell and denting his concrete floor appeared to have helped Tyson stay in shape during his time behind bars.