In many ways, Mike Tyson is lucky to be alive.
The boxer-turned-promoter told reporters Monday during a conference call made to hype his upcoming debut as a boxing promoter Aug. 23 that he recklessly used drugs and contemplated ending his own life.
"I was overdosing every night, I couldn't believe I was waking up," Tyson, 47, said on the call according to ESPN.
Tyson went through some tough times after becoming the youngest man to ever win boxing's heavyweight title at the tender age of 20, and couldn't deal with the fame and fortune. Tyson turned to drugs as a way to cope. However, after meeting his now-wife Kiki and losing his four-year-old daughter to a tragic treadmill accident in 2009, Tyson decided it was time to stop doing drugs and start living his life differently.
Tyson recalled being a "full blown addict" in 2008 and the former boxer even contemplated suicide. It was a visit from then-friend Kiki that changed his whole outlook on life and made him attempt a comeback at re-branding himself. Tyson told reporters that Kiki told him he should try to do a one-man show on stage to tell his story and to also get into film.
Tyson took that advice to heart, appearing in a memorable role in "The Hangover: Part II" in 2011 and having Spike Lee produce his one-man show, which is set to go on another tour this November and has been critically acclaimed. Tyson even wrote a memoir called "Undisputed Truth" that is set to be released Nov. 12 and will undoubtedly tell the tale of the legendary boxer's triumphs and tragedies.
This Friday, Tyson will promote a card at Turning Stone in Verona, N.Y. that features a title fight between the IBF 130-pound champion, Argenis Mendez, and Arash Usmanee as the main event that will be featured on ESPN's "Friday Night Fights" as a part of Iron Mike Productions.
Tyson, now in a reflective stage of his life, said he learned through experience that it's wrong to put his hands on promoters and handlers, including Don King as he did in the past when they reached disagreements.
"I put my hands on 'em, you should never ever do that," he told ESPN. "I was an immature, spoiled kid; I'd never do that again, striking people."
Tyson has come back from the brink with a clear head, and though King, who will become 82 on Aug. 20, hasn't given him any advice about promoting fights, "Iron Mike" is excited for his new endeavors.
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