Following Michael Jackson‘s death in 2009, there have been questions about who he really was as a person. He was mysterious to some, but now former boxer Mike Tyson is providing some insight. The man who was known for his knockouts recently explained that the shy demeanor of Jackson was actually an act.
This revelation was provided during an appearance on T.I.’s Expeditiously podcast. Tyson explained that he had first met Jackson backstage at a concert in the 1980s and that this initial introduction did not pan out particularly well. Tyson said Jackson treated him like a nobody despite a massive level of fame.
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Following that perceived slight, Tyson held a grudge against the pop star for a very long time. He said: “That cold motherf–ker. I hated his guts forever,” about Jackson. The reason for this grudge is that being treated this way broke Tyson’s ego. He was not used to being treated like a “nobody” and that changed his opinion of the popular singer.
The situation changed, however, after a third party came to Tyson and said that the pop star wanted to spend time with him. The boxer agreed to go with this mutual friend in an effort to get rid of his hatred toward Jackson. This interaction reportedly went quite well as Tyson saw an entirely different side of the singer.
“He wasn’t no f—ing stupid little feeble lookin’ boy like Peter Pan,” Tyson said about Jackson. “He’s f—ing sharp. He knew what f—in’ time it was. It blew my mind.”
The shy demeanor was not the only thing that surprised Tyson. He also discovered that Jackson was quite adept at wooing members of the opposite sex. In fact, the boxer referred to the King of Pop as a “player” due to his ability to attract women.
“I thought he was a f—ing idiot until I met him that day,” Tyson said. “I learned to respect him. I knew he was a player.”
This assessment of Jackson’s character is only one side of the story considering that the King of Pop is no longer alive, but Tyson has no doubts about Jackson. He spent time with him and saw an entirely different side of his personality, one that was not put on display for the audience members of those that watched Jackson’s music videos.
(Photo Credit: James Gilbert/Getty Images)
