by Ron Robbins

Created on: April 06, 2007   Last Updated: October 22, 2008

Mike Tyson (born Michael Gerard Tyson), is perhaps one of the most famous boxers of all time, despite his very troubling lifestyle, past convictions, and blatant disregard for keeping control in many situations. So, what's really wrong with this guy? If we look deeper into the facts of the question, many answers can be found.

Tyson has lived a very troubled life since childhood. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Mike's father abandoned the family when Tyson was only 2, leaving his mom to care for Tyson and his two siblings on her own. At the age of 10, financial crisis necessitated a move to Brownsville, and 6 years later his mother died. He was adopted by his boxing trainer and mentor, Cus D'Amato. D'Amato turned Tyson into one of the great fighters of all time, which requires a lot of dedication. Good boxers aren't molded from thin air. They're created in a gym, sometimes sacrificing their social lives and many other things to pursue their goals in the sport.This was the life of young Mike Tyson, surrounded in sacrifice.

Many of the older people around him growing up ridiculed his high pitched voice and lisp, which created tension between him and his peers. Tyson's entire childhood was spent living in high crime neighborhoods. By the age of 13, Mike Tyson had been arrested 32 times. Many of these were for assaulting people who ridiculed him. Judging by many of Tyson's interviews and quotations, you would assume the man suffers from at least some form of depression.

Tyson is quoted as saying "I never saw my mother happy with me and proud of me for doing something: she only knew me as being a wild kid running the streets, coming home with new clothes that she knew I didn't pay for. I never got a chance to talk to her or know about her. Professionally, it has no effect, but it's crushing emotionally and personally." In other interviews, the man is quoted as saying "My brother and I see each other occasionally and we love each other. My brother was always something and I was nothing."

Tyson has also publicly admitted to using prescription Zoloft, which is normally prescribed for anxiety. Anxiety can be a very debilitating problem, because it can effect you in a lot of ways. It can make you decide to seclude yourself, and be passive to your peers and acquaintances. Or it can make you angry and violent. Perhaps, much of Mike Tyson's problem is anxiety. But who knows? I think whatever troubles Mike Tyson is something deep inside his psyche, that evolved as he grew up and faced the trauma of his life. The death of Cus D'Amato was his downfall in public though. I think he simply stopped caring about life after D'Amato died, turning to an alternative lifestyle which clearly shows today.

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