BOXING
Boxing

Mike Tyson meets fan he once robbed decades ago in lead up to Jake Paul fight

Tyson was arrested nearly 40 times in three years when he lived in Brownsville.

Mike Tyson
Mike TysonLAPRESSE

Mike Tyson met a fan he robbed decades ago in a strange crossover. The 58-year-old is preparing to take on Jake Paul as the ex-undisputed heavyweight champion returns to the professional scene.

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The Baddest Man on the Planet returned to Brownsville in New York as part of Netflix's "Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson" documentary, where the fan turned out to be waiting for the boxer to confront him.

"You robbed me when I was 8 years old on Amboy and Pitkin," said the man, before adding, "He robbed me when I was a kid, bro. On Pitkin, by the Woolworth's store. You Woolworth's?"

Tyson initially tried to laugh it off before later appearing to regret the decision of his younger self as he replied by saying, "I'm sorry, bro."

The sporting icon relocated to the Brooklyn suburb when he was 10 and itted he had been arrested an astonishing 38 times by the time he turned 13, with the Brownsville area being noted for its high crime rate.

"My whole life was about crime," Tyson said, reflecting on his youth. "There was nothing special about being a criminal here.

"It lets me know I'm nobody. Sometimes I think I'm somebody but when I come back here, I realize I'm nobody.

"Some things I did when I was young in Brownsville, you just never forget what you're capable of doing. That pretty much shaped my personality in life."

Tyson's life of crime did not end when he left the region either. In 1992 he was sentenced to federal prison after being convicted of raping an 18-year-old Miss Black America contestant named Desiree Washington.

He was released at the age of 29 four years later and went on to win the WBC and WBA heavyweight belts before losing the WBA to Evander Holyfield and later the last remaining one to Lennox Lewis.

When is Tyson vs. Paul?

Iron Mike Tyson will take on Jake El Gallo Paul on Friday, November 15 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys.

The event will be streamed by Netflix and promoted by Most Valuable Promotions and both fighters are expected to earn between $20m-$40m.

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