Mike Tyson fears his "expiration date" is coming "real soon" after seeing spots on his face while looking in the mirror recently.
The legendary former world heavyweight champion was speaking with therapist Sean McFarland on the latest episode of his podcast Hot Boxin' when he made the morbid admission. Tyson has seemed upbeat about his chances of making another boxing return this year in previous interviews, but appeared more sombre during his most recent show.
He was discussing the problem with people spending too much time analysing their lives as opposed to moving forward with things, when he made the relatively common point that "we're all going to die". But it got deeper than cliches as he delved into his own mortality, admitting that he feels his final days are edging closer.
"Some people want to analyse their success, which is ridiculous," Tyson explained. "We're all going to die one day, of course. Then I look in the mirror and I see those little spots on my face and I go 'wow, my expiration date is coming close really soon, what do you do with that, how do you think about that death thing?"
McFarlane chose a more positive outlook, joking that he doesn't worry about it, to which the boxer replied that he doesn't either. "I'm not sweating it," he insisted. "I just want to die consciously.
"I don't want to die screaming. I've heard the last rights of a lot of people - a lot of famous people - and they're getting ready to die, and they leave this planet screaming. The New York Times says this, the Vanity Fair says that but they become scared little boys in the end because they're not right with truth and they're haunted by all of their demons. I just want to die consciously, after a good swim hopefully."
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Tyson has lived an incredible life, rising up from poverty on the streets of Brownsville in Brooklyn, New York to become a pop culture and boxing icon. He was a multiple-time world champion and was known for his brutal knockout power, landing wins over the likes of Larry Holmes and Frank Bruno.
He made his return to the ring in November of 2020 for an exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr, going the eight-round distance to a draw with his fellow former champion. He has been toying with the possibility of another comeback bout against one of Jake or Logan Paul, which he is hopeful could take place this year.
Logan has recently signed with WWE and must fulfill that contractual obligation first, while Jake is currently preparing for his sixth professional fight. He faces a major step-up in the 12-1 heavyweight Hasim Rahman Jr at Madison Square Garden next month.
