Why Does Mike Tyson Talk Like That?

Mike Tyson is considered one of the greatest boxers of all time. Fear is what he instilled in every opponent who had the courage to face ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ in the squared circle. It might be hard to imagine, but even an intimidating guy like Tyson once had a childhood laden with insecurities. One of the many chinks in the armor of ‘Iron Mike’ during his childhood had to do with his speech impediment for which he was picked on as a kid.

If you pay close attention to the way he speaks, Tyson sometimes sounds slurry on his podcast and many interviews he has given. It is a rare condition that he had carried through his childhood well into his adult life. However, the reputation that he had amassed inside the boxing ring by knocking out his opponents has whitewashed any complications that might arise with the rare condition he suffers from. However, Tyson seems to have made his peace with it and even hosts his own podcast named ‘Hotboxin with Mike Tyson’.

But what is the condition Tyson suffers from that makes his delivery of speech lack clarity?

What is lisp disorder and does Mike Tyson have it?

In one word, yes, Mike Tyson has a ‘Lisp’ disorder. Lisp is a condition where you suffer from speech impairment and its scientific name is ‘Sigmatism’. It happens due to misalignment between the throat, tongue, lips, or teeth during speaking. The rare condition produces slurry and mumbled speech.

A person with a lisp misarticulates certain alphabets. Although it starts to manifest during a person’s childhood,  sometimes it may also occur due to an injury suffered in adult life.

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In Mike Tyson’s case, he suffers from the condition since his childhood. And for the same, Tyson was bullied. Although some reports claim that he had been punched on his head a lot in the ring. And that is the reason behind his impaired voice or lisp, but it is not true.

However, he never let his weakness overshadow his strengths. A minor speech impediment did not prove to be an obstacle on his road to greatness. With sheer determination, he went on to achieve everything a man can wish for in the field of boxing and is an inspiration to all budding boxers

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