November 3, 2014
Mike Tyson Opens Up About Being Sexually Assaulted as a Child
Jason St. Amand READ TIME: 1 MIN.
Former boxing champ Mike Tyson revealed Wednesday in an interview on SiriusXM Opie's Radio show that he was molested when he was 7 years old, the New York Daily News reports.
The athlete opened up about the abuse when talking about his childhood and what made him a good boxer, saying a man pulled him off the street when he was a child.
"These guys bullied me and sexually abused me," Tyson said.
Jim Norton, the show's co-host, asked Tyson, 48, if the abuse occurred one time or if it continued.
"No, one time," Tyson said. "Never seen him again....snatched me off the street."
"He abused you and just let you go or did you escape?" Norton asked.
"Well, I ran," Tyson said.
While some men in the interview seemed uncomfortable, host Opie Hughes saying "awwwkward" at one point, Tyson said he is not embarrassed or ashamed by the incident.
Though Tyson hasn't professionally boxed since 2005, his rep said the athlete is "in a good place in his life with sobriety, family and career."
Watch the interview below:
