Boxing legend Mike Tyson made a surprising revelation about his mother’s death, stating that it was “one of the best things that ever happened to me.”

Lorna Tyson, Mike Tyson’s mother, passed away from cancer in 1982, three years before her son became a professional boxer. Tyson has never shied away from discussing his tough childhood in the slums of Brooklyn, New York, where he struggled daily to survive.

Losing his mother at such a young age was a significant hardship for “Iron Mike,” but it also served as a catalyst for his rise. The 56-year-old legend said, “You know, one of the best things that ever happened to me was my mother dying. Because my mother would have ‘babied’ me. There’s no way I would have been able to fight on the streets anymore. There’s no way I would have learned how to stand up if I didn’t go through that.”

Tyson was only 16 when Lorna passed away. Growing up in Brownsville, a crime-ridden neighborhood, Tyson did not know his biological father and was only aware of his stepfather, Jimmy Kirkpatrick.

Tyson met his late mentor, Cus D’Amato, when he was just 12 years old. Having endured a harsh adolescence, filled with fights and trouble at school, Tyson was discovered and mentored by D’Amato. The coach encouraged him to participate in amateur tournaments, helping to refine Tyson’s early boxing skills.

Rising above all odds, Mike Tyson shook the sports world by becoming the youngest heavyweight champion in history at just 20 years old, a record that remains unbroken to this day.