“She Was Always a Facilitator”: Years After Her Death, Mike Tyson Exposed His Mother’s Role in Scoring ‘Weed’

After the greatest, Muhammad Ali bid goodbye to the boxing world in 1981; an apparent vacuum overtook the sport. It wasn’t until 1985 that a powerfully built eighteen-year-old grabbed the world’s attention with his devastating punches. Michael Gerald Tyson, or more popularly, Mike Tyson, shook the Heavyweight division like never before. From the time he debuted till he won the first title belt, ‘Iron’ Mike participated in twenty-seven fights, out of which all but only two he permitted for decisions.

From 1987, at age twenty, when he became the youngest world champion in boxing’s history till 1990, he had a dream run. But come 1990, the tables turned with his first defeat. Over the next two decades, personal and professional setbacks marred much of Tyson’s life. Jailterm, loss of titles, and bankruptcy, among other issues, hounded the once formidable fighter. A grand champion’s downfall undoubtedly bewildered a great many fans.

Pages from ‘Iron’ Mike’s early life

Most of the supporters are well aware of Tyson’s troubled past. Probably they could have thought that deep within Mike Tyson lies a child who longed for his mother’s care and love. And seemingly, all his anger and frustration that he vented inside and outside the ring could be ascribed to those childhood days spent in rough Brooklyn. It wasn’t until 2013 when his autobiography “Undisputed Truth” came, that long-hidden pages from Tyson’s life came out in the open.

Co-Authored by Larry Slowan, the book soon reached the top of the best-selling books listed by the New York Times. Every chapter and page of the book reveals the ups and down in the legendary champion’s life. Take, for instance, page thirty-eight, where Tyson disclosed a startling set of circumstances.

So growing up until boxing discovered him, the streets sheltered the young Tyson. However, involvement in petty crimes got him in law enforcement’s crosshairs. As a result, he became a frequent visitor to juvenile or correctional facilities. He writes, “Since I was now in the correctional system, the authorities decided to send me to group homes to get straightened out. They would take a bunch of kids who were down, abused, bad, psycho kids and throw them together in some home where the government paid people to take us is.”

Mike Tyson calls his mother something important

For the future boxing champion, the entire setup seemed like a charade. Then he narrates how once, during a stay at a ‘group home’ in a place called Brentwood, the urge for weed became dire. Left with no other option, he calls up his mother, Lorna Smith Tyson, and tells her about the urgent need. And his mother, upon learning of her son’s plight, informs his brother Rodney Tyson to buy some weed and hand it over to ‘Iron’ Mike. ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet,’ writes, “She was always a facilitator.”

Read More: “Nobody Got a Chain on Me”: Mike Tyson Comes Clean on Why He Went Broke

Mike Tyson’s mother had three kids, which included ‘Iron’ Mike, with Purcell Tyson, a cab driver originally from Jamaica. Later on, she married a street hustler and pimp Jimmy Kirkpatrick. The marriage resulted in one more child, Tyson’s half-brother, Jimmie Lee Kirkpatrick. Jimmy Kirkpatrick left the family soon afterward. So Lorna Smith was left alone to care for herself and her children. Down and out with no reliable source of income, the young family often had to move places. Mike Tyson’s mother passed away in 1982, battling cancer, a year after his amateur debut.

What is your take on the short story taken from ‘Iron’ Mike’s book? Do share your thoughts and views with us in the comments below.

Watch This Story: Mike Tyson Stuns with His “Conspiracy” Take on the Mysterious Mona Lisa