“You Might as Well Don’t Even Live”: Mike Tyson on Fear’s Role in Life

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Although it might be hard to believe, a young Mike Tyson once told Dick Cavett that he would stop fighting the day he stopped feeling fear. As per Tyson, it was fear which greatly motivated the boxer to face his scary opponents inside the squared circle and swing with all his might. However, as he learned from legendary trainer Cus D’Amato, fear could play several roles in one’s life – it could carry and cripple.

Luckily, for Tyson, fear carried the former heavyweight champion of the world forward. As the boxer himself told Cavett, fear made the youngest heavyweight champion in the sport “explosive“. Similarly, before his upcoming professional fight against Jake Paul in July, Tyson told the media that he wanted to fight ‘The Problem Child’ because he was “scared to death“!

In this context, as Tyson appeared on Good Trouble, host and Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios reminded ‘Iron’ of a maxim by Cus D’Amato which the boxer often reiterated – “Fear is your best friend or your worst enemy. It’s like fire. If you can control it, it can cook for you; it can heat your house. If you can’t control it, it will burn everything around you and destroy you.” In doing so, Nick asked Tyson to elaborate on the mentioned maxim.


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“It’s all about your relationship with fear. If fear is your master, your whole life is miserable. You might as well don’t even live. But, if it’s your friend, it’ll help you succeed in life,” Mike Tyson said.

“Because you’re afraid, you’ll reach your highest potential. Because losing that fear of being humiliated, that fear of people laughing at you, that excels you to be better than what you actually are. You’d be surprised how many people are great because of shame,” he added. At this, Nick asked Tyson about lessons he learned from boxing that apply to all facets of life.

Mike Tyson advises one to gain control over their mind

Having fought 58 professional fights in the ring which led him to befriend fear, Mike Tyson understood how the mind plays tricks on someone. As per Tyson, it is one’s mind that makes life as well as a challenge appear more frightening than they are in real life. “Like in the ring, life is not as bad as your mind actually makes it,” said Tyson.

“Your mind makes things more dangerous and important than they actually are,” he added. Likewise, Tyson advised one to befriend their mind and gain control over the same. “It’s going to relate good things to you and positive things. But, if you don’t control it, it will tell you to kill yourself,” he concluded.