Almost every boxer has been inspired by Mike Tyson’s incredible talent. From when he became the youngest heavyweight champion in history to the date he retired, ‘Iron’ Mike mesmerized millions of fans with spell-bounding wizardry in the ring. One might wonder whether his craft could have entranced a real practitioner, someone well versed with nimble handwork. It appears so.

As he stood in front of a packed house, David Blaine recalled how Mike Tyson inspired him. The former heavyweight champion’s magical words set him on a transformative journey to success. Four years after he fought an exhibition against Roy Jones Jr., Mike Tyson will enter the ring on November 15. He will face Jake Paul in an interesting battle. The fight between a 58-year-old boxing great and a 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer has been a talking point within the boxing fraternity.

It seems the incident occurred many years ago. However, it was still fresh in David Blaine’s memory. Amidst a round of applause, the illusionist welcomed his hero and inspiration. He narrated how, back in the day, he used to print Tyson’s face on his t-shirts. Subsequently, Blaine went back to that particular incident that changed his life.

“I met Mike when I was a teenager, and Mike has always been not just a dear friend but just he changed my mind about success and everything,” said the man behind ABC’s hit series, ‘Street Magic.’ So the conversation took place after he joined Mike Tyson in his limousine. “I was a kid doing card tricks, and he didn’t know me,” Blaine said.

So he told Tyson that his ambition was to become a great magician. But boxing’s youngest heavyweight champion revealed something unusual. Mike Tyson said, “I wasn’t meant to be the heavyweight champion of the world; he said, I’m not tall enough; I don’t have big reach.”

However, those factors never bothered him. Why? The primary reason was that he had nothing left to risk. “And when you have nothing to lose, you have everything to gain because you’re not yet,” said ‘Iron’ Mike.

In early May through an Instagram post, Mike Tyson shared several pictures of him and Blaine alongside screen idol Al Pacino. As they watched the footage of Blaine and daughter Dessa leaving Tyson and son Amir dumbfounded with their tricks, one fan poignantly remarked, “Mike does magic too. He puts guys to sleep with the touch of his hand.”

Lost luggage to lasting wisdom

David Blaine recounted the chance meeting with Mike Tyson while speaking with Graham Bensinger a few years ago. So it seems that Blaine was traveling to Los Angeles for the first time. At the airport, confusion followed. Finding his suitcase similar to theirs, Mike Tyson’s associates, it seems, accidentally took away David Blaine’s luggage. So when he checked, they told the illusionist to look into one car lined up for Mike Tyson’s entourage.

Incidentally, Tyson happened to be in the limousine. After a brief interaction, he told Blaine to join him for the ride towards the hotel. The conversation followed, and it was at that moment in time when ‘Iron’ Mike shared his secret mantra to achieve success. In the end, the boxing great’s message of perseverance and strong commitment stays with David Blaine. Over the years, like his idol, he continued to climb the magical ladder, captivating a legion of amazed fans worldwide.

If Jake Paul ends up in success, do you feel Mike Tyson should continue one more fight or two?