Mike Tyson recently opened up about how boxing, fame, and fear shaped him, both as a fighter and as a person.

On Sean Callagy’s Unblinded podcast, the ex-heavyweight champ looked back at what he learned from boxing, his fame, and figuring out who he was. He shared how things like discipline, fear, and doing well impacted him.

Discipline, Skill, and Fear

Tyson thinks discipline was key to his wins, but it wasn't all good.

He said, “Discipline is doing what you hate to do, but doing it as you love it.”

This helped him win fights but didn't leave much room for dealing with his feelings or finding balance outside of boxing.

Even though many thought he was a natural, Tyson said talent wasn't everything. “Talent means absolutely nothing. Everyone has talent. But how far do you want to go with it? Talent means nothing if I didn’t want to do it.” Tyson thinks his drive, not just his skill, got him to the top.

A lot of Tyson’s discipline and fear came from his trainer, Cus D’Amato, who influenced his boxing and how he saw the world. “I was scared to death of Cus D’Amato… he put the fear of God in me.” Tyson said, “If I didn’t meet this guy, it would have been bad. When I met him, I believed in God.” These early lessons gave him structure and faith, but also made fear and control a big part of who he was.

Confidence, Wins, and Money Lessons

Tyson talked about how confidence and wins helped each other. “Confidence breeds success, success breeds confidence.” This helped him get to the top, but it also hid his weak spots, especially when dealing with fame and money at a young age.

He said that tough times helped him figure out who he was and what was important. “More valuable than making all that money was losing it, because you realise that doesn’t define you.” Tyson added, “I realised people looked at me—you’re Mike with a billion dollars, and you’re Mike with 40 cents—you’re still Mike.”

More Than Just Boxing

Now that he's not caught up in the craziness of his younger years, Tyson is thinking about what boxing taught him and what it cost him. The fear, discipline, and hard work that made him famous also took a toll that he sees now. Understanding himself after boxing was a fight even he couldn't avoid—and it made him who he is today.

Boxer Anthony Joshua dropped a mysterious Christmas Day message online, stirring up excitement for what he's got planned next year. He just beat YouTuber Jake Paul in a tough heavyweight fight in Miami, knocking him out in the sixth round.

Paul went down twice in the fifth round before Joshua landed a strong right punch in the sixth, breaking Paul's jaw. Before the fight, people were saying Joshua had agreed to take it easy on Paul, but both teams denied it.

Thinking about his performance, Joshua said, I should've done better. It's a win, sure, but not really a success. My coach wants more from me, and so do I. But hey, what can you do? I can’t just sit on that one win.

Joshua said he knows he can still get better, saying, So, yeah, I'm not happy. I felt like I was carrying a boxing on my back today; that's all it was.

I took Jake as seriously as I needed to, but I take myself seriously most of all.

You have to be ready. One mistake can really hurt you in that ring.

Looking forward to the year ahead, the 36-year-old hinted that he's planning something big.

On Christmas Day, he posted on X (Twitter), Big thanks to the 33 million of you who watched and supported me, Jake, and everyone else fighting that night, and thanks to everyone who prayed for me during fight week.

Enjoy the holidays if you're celebrating, and have a good week if you're not. Big plans for the year ahead, so keep an eye out.

We are all equal in God's eyes. God bless. Rastafari.

At the same time, Paul also posted a message on X, saying, God is great.

Broken jaw, but my brain and spine are fine. I've never been so ready to go. Merry Christmas to everyone!

Never stop trying to be your best. You will definitely fail if you don't even try.