‘The fights that don’t count’ – Mike Tyson had ‘150 street fights’ in Brooklyn in the early 1980s and was arrested 38 times by age 13

Mike Tyson participated in approximately 150 street fights as a youth in Brooklyn, which prepared him for his career as a professional boxer.

It is well known that “Iron Mike” was a wild animal in his youth and even once admitted to terrorizing the streets of New York.

Tyson found himself in trouble for petty crimes on countless occasions and was arrested 38 times by the age of 13, eventually ending up in a reform school.

It was here that he discovered boxing and began his amateur career.

Former boxer Bobby Stewart – who was a counselor at a juvenile detention center – spotted the future champion’s potential and passed it on to Cus D’Amato.

It was on the streets, however, that “Iron Mike” received his first real combat education.

“I’m talking about these fights that don’t matter,” Tyson explained on his Hotboxin’ podcast a few years ago when talking about his first foray into the fight game.

“Some guys have had 300, 400 fights from amateurs. Pernell (Whitaker) has had a lot of fights.

“I’ve had 60 (amateur fights). I’ve had about 150 street fights, that’s probably why I haven’t done too bad in boxing.

“That’s all we did in Brooklyn was fight. Fight, fight, fight.

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“It was: ‘You did this, you did that – I didn’t do that’, fight, fight.”

Even as an adult, Tyson had one of the most infamous street brawls when he thought he had killed Mitch ‘Blood’ Green when confronted during a late-night shopping trip.

Punches were thrown, shirts were torn and police were called after what Tyson described as “my signature punch, the right uppercut.” Boom! Mitch flew through the air and fell like a rag doll, right on his head.

Speaking in depth about the chaos of raw combat, he continued: “Combat is spiritual, everything is consciousness.

“When you’re really fighting, you don’t know what you’re doing. It’s just, pow, action, it’s happening.

“You plan to throw this one, but it sinks. When it sinks, things happen. You might get knocked out.

“And sometimes when your consciousness is outside your body, you watch yourself fight.”

Now, more than 40 years after his street fighting days, Tyson is set to return to the boxing ring.

He will face Jake Paul in an exhibition fight on July 20 in Texas.

This is his second fight during his “retirement”, having stepped away from the professional game in 2005 when he retired to his stool against Kevin McBride.

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