Mike Tyson says prison was ‘best three years of my life’ after rape conviction

It’s safe to say that boxing great Mike Tyson endured a controversial career both inside and outside of the ring. While the former undisputed heavyweight world champion enjoyed greatness with the gloves on, he struggled to adjust to fame. Subsequently “Iron Mike” spent several years behind bars, but it appears that his time in prison was far from an unpleasant experience.

Back in 1992 during the height of his fame, Tyson was arrested and convicted of rape – something which the boxer has denied. Tyson was sentenced to six years in prison with four years of probation after the jury deliberated for almost 10 hours. However, he was released in 1995 but is still required to register as a Tier II sex offender under federal law for the rest of his life.

The judgment was dealt during a pivotal time in Tyson’s career when he had lost his WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight titles to Buster Douglas in 1990. Tyson bounced back with two first-round knockout wins over Henry Tillman and Alex Stewart, setting up a bout against Donovan “Razor” Ruddock. The winner would then take on Evander Holyfield for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship.

Tyson would defeat Ruddock twice in 1991 which set up a bout against Holyfield at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, but “Iron Mike” was forced to withdraw due to a rib cartilage injury. His stint behind bars meant to had to wait until 1996 before he could challenge for a world title again, when he claimed the WBC belt against Frank Burno, but believes his time in prison was enjoyable.

Speaking on “The Pivot” podcast, Tyson admitted: “I’m just very grateful – I’m a cool guy, I’m a good person, I treated everybody nice. I had the best three years of my life in prison.”

When asked if he missed his extravagant lifestyle during his time incarcerated, Tyson added: “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.”

Tyson was able to maintain his fitness while in prison and stuck to a strict fitness regime. “I was doing running,” he said. “Doing eight or nine miles around. And at night time, I would run for four hours, just in my room. 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 285 pounds. I came out 215 pounds.”

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While behind bars Tyson converted to Islam and made a conscious decision to become a more peaceful person. However, he still managed to become embroiled in controversy just two years later.

In one of the most iconic moments in boxing history, Tyson fought Evander Holyfield in 1997. The fight was a highly anticipated rematch bout which saw Holyfield claim the win just seven months earlier.

During the third round, Tyson bit Holyfield on the ear on two separate occasions which forced the fight to stop. The pair have since made amends and have recently worked together to produce a range of edible cannabis gummies in the shape of the boxer’s bitten ear.

Tyson is currently keeping himself busy by taking on the role of trainer for former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. The MMA star has ventured into the world of boxing and enlisted “Iron Mike” as his coach as he prepares to face Tyson Fury on Oct. 28 in Saudi Arabia.

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