Other than Muhammad Ali, hardly anyone is as synonymous with boxing as Mike Tyson. The five-foot-eight-inch powerhouse from Brooklyn terrorized his opponents, eventually becoming the youngest heavyweight champion in history. But what was Tyson’s key to success? Longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan has some insights into what made ‘Iron’ Mike a legend.
Mike Tyson is set to return to the ring against Jake Paul in a boxing match that will be streamed on Netflix. Many believe that the move to the world’s most subscribed OTT platform is largely due to Tyson’s immense star power. Being considered an icon is a rare honor, and Joe Rogan believes that certain environmental factors and influential people in Tyson’s life were crucial to his rise in the boxing world.
Joe Rogan cites several reasons for Mike Tyson’s legendary career. It’s well-known that Tyson did not have an ideal childhood; he grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant, a crime-ridden neighborhood in Brooklyn. This area had such a high crime rate that even today, it is 24 percent higher than the national average in the United States, with most being violent crimes.
“First of all, there was his upbringing,” Joe Rogan told guest Chad Daniels on the JRE podcast. “He had a horrible, horrible upbringing. Just crime and violence in the worst neighborhood in Brooklyn. He lived in Bed-Stuy… terrible neighborhood.” Tyson’s fortune changed when Cus D’Amato entered his life. Cus D’Amato, a legendary boxing trainer, decided to adopt Tyson and used serious psychological tools to mold him into a champion. “At 13 years of age, he gets adopted by Cus D’Amato, who’s one of the greatest boxing minds of all time and also a hypnotist. From age 13 on, he’s hypnotizing Mike and telling him he’s the greatest of all time,” Joe Rogan explained. “On top of it, you [Tyson] have crazy genetics. Teddy Atlas told me that when Mike was 13, he was knocking out grown men and they wouldn’t believe he was 13… He was a freak.”
Beyond his physical talents, Tyson had significant support from key individuals. Jimmy Jacobs, a close friend of Cus D’Amato and Tyson’s manager, played an instrumental role in Tyson’s development. “He was managed by Jim Jacobs, who had all the film footage of the greatest boxers of all time. He was the biggest collector of old boxing footage, and Mike would sit there all day and watch Jack Dempsey fight, watch Jack Johnson fight… watch these old, old killers,” Joe Rogan added.
As Tyson gears up to face Jake Paul, opinions are divided. Some believe that Tyson’s legendary prowess will end Paul’s boxing endeavor, while others worry about the risks for the 58-year-old Tyson, who has some medical issues, stepping back into the ring. But what do you think? Should Tyson fight Paul? Let us know in the comments below.
The Consequential Contributions of Jimmy Jacobs
In the age of the internet, it’s easy to find footage of past fights for boxers to study. But in the 70s and 80s, it wasn’t so simple. Jimmy Jacobs’ passion for collecting reels of old fights provided an invaluable resource for Mike Tyson. His extensive collection served as a great inventory, allowing Tyson to learn from the greatest boxers of all time.
