After Laughing at Tom Brady, Mike Tyson Remains Brutally Honest About Making “Mistakes”

May 20, 2023 | 7:46 PM EDT

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Who would have thought that a lanky, young Tom Brady, in an old photograph, would trigger chuckles rather than awe? Who would have thought that one day he would become the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) in football? In a recent episode of the PBD Podcast, Adam Sosnick highlighted this unpredictable trajectory, laughing at the early days of Brady while opening a candid conversation with Mike Tyson.

Tyson, a boxing legend with a contrasting story of his own, shared a thought-provoking insight, “In order to be a master, you first have to be a fool.” This intriguing revelation leads us into a deeper exploration of Tyson’s life journey, sprinkled with raw honesty and tales of a brutal past, such as being knocked out by a bat at the young age of 11. How could such a boy rise to become one of boxing’s most formidable champions?

An intimate conversation: Mike Tyson reveals his road to mastery

On the PBD Podcast, Tyson, Bet-David, and Sosnick dove into a candid discussion about Tyson’s rise to greatness and the defining moments in his life. Sosnick kickstarted the conversation by pointing to an old photo of a young Tom Brady, saying, “There’s the picture of Tom Brady. Doesn’t look like the GOAT right there, does he? But no, turned out to be the greatest quarterback to ever live.” Turning to Tyson, Sosnick probed Tyson’s journey, asking what inspired him to turn his life around.

Tyson responded, “In order to be a master, you first have to be a fool,” a statement that incited a rich exploration into his personal philosophy and journey.

As Tyson elucidated his statement, he shed light on the necessity of making mistakes and learning from them. “It’s so easy to get discouraged and give up,” Tyson revealed, adding, “I’ve been knocked out before that. Nothing came easy for me, I didn’t give up. Remember.” This confession offered a striking contrast to the typical narratives around success, focusing on the value of perseverance in the face of adversity.

Bet-David then steered the conversation towards Tyson’s first experience of being knocked out, a topic that unveiled a painful memory from Tyson’s past. Tyson was only an 11-year-old when he was attacked by a boy with a bat, marking his first brutal encounter with defeat. “They don’t know our world. He hit me with a bat,” Tyson admitted.

This shocking revelation painted a vivid picture of the harsh environment Tyson was raised in and how it shaped his subsequent journey in the world of boxing.

In the end, Tyson’s narrative, alongside Brady’s early days, underscores the unpredictability of the road to becoming a GOAT in sports. It leaves us with the thought-provoking notion: If adversity, failure, and resilience are the shared hallmarks of these GOATs, what’s holding us back in our own journeys toward personal mastery?

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