Former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson appeared on comedian Theo Von’s podcast “This Past Weekend,” in which the 59-year-old former titleholder became visibly emotional while talking about his behind schedule mentor Cus D’Amato and offered unfiltered memories of his past struggles with cocaine addiction.

Tyson breaks down remembering Cus D’Amato

When asked by Von what period of his life he would most like to have documented on film, Tyson didn’t hesitate.

“That was when I first met my mentor Cus D’Amato,” Tyson said.

D’Amato, a coach from Catskill, Novel York, who previously coached Floyd Patterson and Jose Torres to world titles, adopted Tyson when he was 13 after meeting him at the Tryon School for Boys, a juvenile correctional facility in upstate Novel York. D’Amato became Tyson’s legal guardian after the death of Tyson’s mother in 1982, and trained him until D’Amato’s own death in November 1985, about a year before Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in history.

“I started boxing, I started changing my life. Then I met him. That’s the part I want you to come back to,” Tyson said on the podcast.

When Von asked how Tyson knew D’Amato loved him, the former champion’s voice broke and he covered his face with his hand.

“I had someone I loved and he loved me,” Tyson said.

Tyson explained that D’Amato protected him from criticism during his amateur years, and Von noted that the juvenile Tyson would attack anyone who spoke negatively about him. Tyson, clearly moved by the memory, asked Von to change the subject.

“So why are you making me talk about this nonsense? Stop it,” Tyson said.

Stories about cocaine

Elsewhere, Tyson described episodes from his well-documented history of cocaine apply, which he has discussed publicly many times over the years, including in his 2013 autobiography, “Undisputed Truth.”

Tyson told Von that he once didn’t sleep for four consecutive days while filming, and the drug caused scabs and bleeding in his nose. He said the supplier instructed him to take more cocaine for pain relief.

“I took the punch and wow, I feel better. I never knew. I just took the punch and went numb. It wasn’t numb anymore. It started bleeding. I had to take another punch to numb it,” Tyson recalled.

Tyson also recalled going to his personal doctor to ask for assist in quitting smoking, but the doctor asked Tyson for some of the medicine. The former champion said he later checked himself into a rehabilitation facility and gave the remaining supplies to a staff member, who Tyson said kept the drugs for himself.

“I gave him coke, my last coke. I said, ‘Here, I’ve got some coke.’ “The motherfucker took my Coke,” Tyson said.

Tyson’s recent activity

Tyson last fought professionally on November 15, 2024, losing a unanimous decision to Jake Paul over eight two-minute rounds at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. They said the event, which was streamed live on Netflix, attracted 108 million live viewers worldwide data published by the streaming platform.

Tyson’s professional record is 50-7 with 44 knockouts. In the years 1986-1990 he was the WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight champion.

Theo Von’s full episode is available on the comedian’s This Past Weekend podcast.

Torrez said that he does not expect a weakened opponent when they meet at the Glory in Giza gala, headlined by Oleksandr Usyk and Rico Verhoeven.

“Yeah, I think it’s definitely in the back of my mind,” Torrez Jr. said. Mr. Verzace in Ring Magazine when asked about Sanchez’s knee problems. “But I’m going out there preparing for the best, Frank. I’m going out there preparing for Frank, who has two great knees. That’s the Frank I hope to expect because I want to fight the best. I don’t want to fight someone who’s 60% fit.”

“I think his team, doing their due diligence, wouldn’t let him get in the ring with me when he’s at 60% power, and that’s why they postponed the last fight. So I’m 100% ready for Frank Sanchez.”

Torrez also provided a technical breakdown of Sanchez’s style and said that pressure could be the key to breaking him over time.

“I think Frank, being of Cuban descent, has that Cuban style. He can kick his ass when he needs to,” Torrez Jr. said. about Sanchez. “I think he has a very robust backhand. I think he knows how to put you to sleep in the moment where he can hit the shot he wants.”

“But I think he lacks pace. If you’re able to take control of it and put pressure on him and impose your will on him, I think that’s where things start to basically break down in the game plan. I think we saw that with Kabayel.”

The 2024 Olympic silver medalist also revealed that his professional career almost never happened at all. Torrez admitted he believes he would have retired from boxing had he won gold instead of silver in Paris.

“If I won gold, I would retire. I wouldn’t box anymore. That would be it. I would feel like I achieved what I needed to achieve,” Torrez Jr. said.

“I feel that winning silver has given me the drive and determination to prove something not only to myself but to everyone who has sacrificed for me.”

“Well, again, I don’t know what his financial situation is. He earned a lot of money from us. But, you know, he lives in Ukraine and there are a lot of problems there, maybe he needs money, or maybe he just wants to get away from home,” Arum said in an interview with Fighthype.

Arum’s comments drew attention because promoters rarely speculate publicly on whether a returning fighter might be financially motivated. Lomachenko hasn’t fought since stopping George Kambosos Jr. in May 2024. in the fight for the IBF lightweight title, and then left boxing.

The former three-division world champion is now 38 years venerable and has shown signs of decline in the later stages of his lightweight career. Losses to Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney, as well as a complex stretch at 135 pounds, have raised questions about how much Lomachenko has left in his long absence from the ring.

Arum admitted he doesn’t know what version of Lomachenko will return if the comeback continues.

“I don’t know what, if anything, Lomachenko has lost after his two-year retirement. So it would be wrong to hypothesize how he would fare against all these younger guys. We’ll just have to see,” Arum said.

The interviewer asked Arum if Lomachenko would still be able to compete with younger names like Shakur Stevenson, Abdullah Mason and Raymond Muratalla, but Arum avoided making predictions.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding the return, Arum continued to praise Lomachenko as one of the best fighters promoted by Top Rank during his career with the company.

“Loma represents the best of boxing. So I wish him all the best because he has been a great fighter for us and he truly embodies the best of boxing,” Arum said.