Boxing fans have suggested Mike Tyson 'forgot he was talking to a kid' when he gave a brutally honest and somewhat morbid answer to a question from an enthusiastic young interviewer.
The 58-year-old sports star has been doing a lot of press recently on the run up to his imminent fight against Jake Paul, which is set to take place in Arlington, Texas tonight (November 15).
He's spoken to reporters from far and wide, and as part of his preparation he found himself in conversation with a charismatic, 13-year-old reporter named Jazzy.
Jazzy was confident as she spoke with Tyson, saying he was setting up a 'monumental opportunity for kids [her] age to see the legend Mike Tyson in the ring for the first time'.
Advert
"What type of legacy would you like to leave behind when it's all said and done?," Jazzy asked.
It's a good question, especially for someone approaching retirement age like Tyson, but the boxer didn't offer up the kind of inspirational or wholesome response Jazzy might have been expecting.
Instead, he simply said: "I don't know, I don't believe in the word legacy. I think that's another word for ego.
Advert
"That's just some word everybody grabbed on to, now it's used every five seconds. It means absolutely nothing to me."
As if that wasn't enough to catch Jazzy off guard, Tyson's response then took a dark turn.
He continued: "I'm gonna die and it's gonna be over. Who cares about legacy after that?"
Advert
"We're nothing. We're just dead. We're just dust. We're absolutely nothing. Our legacy is nothing," he continued.
Unsurprisingly, it took Jazzy a moment or two to gather her thoughts after this response, but she kept things professional as she thanked Tyson and told him she'd 'not heard' that kind of answer before.
The boxer then rounded off the interview with some language that definitely wasn't suitable for kids, saying: "Who the f**k cares about me when I'm gone?"
Warning: Explicit Language:
Tyson's interview with Jazzy quickly gained attention after it appeared online, with viewers struggling to get over the way the boxer responded.
Advert
"LMAOO. Dropping heavy gems on the youth," one person commented.
"That kid reporter had no idea she was about to get her world view rocked," a second added, as a third person wrote: "Mike Tyson definitely forgot he was talking to a kid while answering that question."
Kid or not, Jazzy handled the interview like a champion - now it's just up to Tyson to put on another memorable performance in his bout against Paul.
Topics: Mike Tyson, Boxing, Viral, Jake Paul
Emily Brown