Mike Tyson is changing his tune on the whole "legacy" conversation ... saying he now knows how he wants to be remembered, and it's got little to do with his brilliance in the ring!
The boxing legend chopped it up with Babcock about his second Mike Tyson Invitational amateur boxing showcase going down at SAHARA Las Vegas (fights stream here), where hundreds of young fighters get to display their skills in front of trainers, scouts, and Iron Mike himself.
Tyson dropped a bombshell during the convo -- explaining this is what he wants to be remembered for.
“This is my legacy, God willing,” Tyson said. “I want this to be my legacy.”
It's a massive shift for a guy who’s spent years brushing off the idea of legacy as pure ego.
The first event went down in March and was a hit ... and this one, Mike says, will be bigger and better.
“Listen, you won’t believe the number of people we had sign up this time. 350 kids in a couple hours,” Tyson said. “I was so gratefully honored by that. I want to help amateur boxing. I want it to be at the level it was when I was an amateur fighter."
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The sport was poppin' back when Tyson was a teenager in the early 80s, but it's not anymore ... and you don't have to look any further than this.
“They’re about to take amateur fighting out to the Olympics,” Tyson says.
That's exactly why this is important -- it's not about a photo op or garnering good press.
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"I want to keep going even when I’m no longer around. This would be my legacy. Since people make legacy such a big thing, this would be my legacy.”
Tyson believes the kids will benefit tremendously from their involvement in the sport.
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"You are not going to have no idea the benefits these young fighters are going to get from this. It’s going to change their whole life.”
Iron Mike was the youngest heavyweight champion ever, and arguably the most feared man on the planet, but that's not the legacy he's chasing anymore.
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Now, it's all about the kids, and the next generation tasked with carrying the mantle for the sport he loves.
“Mike Tyson had his turn. It’s time for these young guys now…”
- TMZ Sports
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