Joe Rogan on Mike Tyson's Legacy

But they went to decision. I honestly I wouldn't mind Tyson getting into his camp and just even just kind of mentoring him a bit. Like Tyson. I feel like somebody like that would really help a guy like that. I mean it's not like he needs a lot of help. Right. But like somebody like Mike Tyson being around, just having him to like call on and talk to sometimes. Tyson doesn't really want to have anything to do with boxing anymore though it seems. And maybe not even in the gym. Maybe just somebody to talk to once in a while. Just for maybe some strategy. Maybe even about strategy sometimes. You know. Because I feel, I don't know, I forget exactly what it was. But there was a moment when I was watching Deontay Wilder and then there was something. I think when Mike was in here something he was talking about that up. I was just like man those two should get connected. That's interesting. I was a long time ago when I was living in Texas. I got a phone call at like 2am and my one is one of my buddies. My buddy Lynn Oding and I was like I don't want to answer that man. I'm sleeping in bed and my wife I'm sleeping in these calls. And then next morning I listen to my voicemail and he's like Eve, Eve if you get this call me back. I'm like he was at a club and he said somebody wants to talk to you. And he has the phone he's like Eve Edwards. Eve Edwards. I was so pissed. God. I was like man I missed a phone call from Mike Tyson. He ran a name in a club or something. I was like Mike Tyson knows my name. Dude I met him at the UFC and he's like you're that weed guy. Now he's that weed guy. Well he was in the weed back then. But it was like that's what he said. He goes I like you man you're funny. I'm like thank you. So glad you like me. And then having him in here was so surreal because when I was a kid he was the fucking man. He was the you would go to pay to see his fights just to watch him fuck somebody up. It wasn't a fight it was an execution. You would watch him execute guys. He was the man. He was the man. He changed heavyweight boxing. People don't realize that heavyweight boxing in the early 80s was dead. Nobody cared because Larry Holmes after he beat Muhammad Ali everybody was sad. It was like a sad thing like there was a changing in the guard. Larry Holmes beat the shit out of Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes never got his due. He never got his due. He was so good man. Larry was so good. He had one of the best jabs of all time. He was so good. But people were still upset at him because he fucked up Muhammad Ali. He came he was the champ after the greatest. You know and not Muhammad Ali wasn't just the greatest in terms of like the greatest fighter. He was a cultural icon. He meant something to people. It was something I mean everyone knew the guy was out for three years because he protested the Vietnam War. Everybody fucking hated the Vietnam War especially people who went to Vietnam hate the Vietnam War and they you know they got it man and he just he meant a lot. He meant a lot. So when Larry Holmes came around it's like man Larry just never got his due. Never got his due. That that era of boxing I remember going back watching tape and doing that. That's one thing I appreciate about Tyson you know. Yeah like he he was a student. Yeah thank God he knew Jim Jacobs who had that crazy library that he could get all that. Yeah. Jim Jacobs was the guy who curated like he has every old time fight all of them. He would watch Sugar Ray Robinson and Jack Dempsey. And he's watching like Willie Pep and he's not only watching like the heavyweights. Yeah he watched every oh yeah Harry Grabby watched all those guys all his old school all in weird obscure fighters you know guys that most people don't remember anymore. Yeah that that that era of boxing was very different. Sandy Sadler and you know all those guys who watch all those guys. Yeah that era of boxing before him was terrible. It's like he had champs like Pinklin Thomas and Tony Tubbs and no one cared about the heavyweight division and then he came along and just started blasting people and you're like finally. I remember I was I was like seven or eight years old I met Trevor Burbeck he was down in the Bahamas for a fight and that's that's who Tyson took his belt from. Yeah got his first belt for 20 years old. Yeah that crazy like 20 20 now you're the heavyweight champion. And then that was the thing talking to him about it like what was that like and it's just there's no way he can manage it. No one can manage that you're gonna go crazy. I feel like his career and his life would have been very different if Kustin died when he did. I think so too. Yeah I think so too. It's a it's a tragic story but it's also like there's so many lessons in that story. It's like for all of us it's like there's a lot to learn you know what happened when it got all the way to Buster Douglas when it was like he thought felt like he can't lose and he was in this rare state. Yeah yeah like his life like he's he's had so many ups and downs as as the heavyweight champ and like to be somebody that's the heavyweight champion in the world somebody with so many eyes on them you know the Robin Givens that whole that whole story in his life you know. I remember they were I forget who was it Oprah when they were being interviewed and they were they were on the show and he just he just kind of looked like I feel like Mike Tyson and that interview was like those tigers that people walk with that they drug. Yes you know what I mean. Yeah perfect perfect way to describe it. Man they probably medicated him. Yeah because he did he did not look he just didn't seem like the Mike Tyson who I was a fan of. Right like I didn't dislike him in that moment I was just like what's wrong with him. Meanwhile who the fuck I mean it had to be her idea if I was his friend we go why were you going why are you going to talk to Barbara Streisand? Yeah that's who it was. Barbara Walters whoever it was get the fuck out of here same thing Barbara Streisand Barbara Walters to me saying you're talking to some old lady you're the fucking heavyweight champ of the world get out of here with that talk no no no no no no no this is nonsense and you're gonna bring your wife what what are you doing what benefit is there. Yeah it was definitely well I can't say definitely but my assumption is it was Robin Givens. She emasculated him yeah she emasculated him in front of the world and you know and I think afterwards he realized what happened he was furious yeah but it's like that life is unmanageable. His the life that he lived back then was unmanageable he was the fucking king of the world he was in his 20s he was buck wild just going crazy flatlining people everywhere he went people throw rose petals at his feet and screaming cheering fans it's unmanageable he's too young. Imagine being a poor adopted black kid with no love in your life no love in your life until yeah until you're 13 and then you come into all of this money because you're the best fighter in the world like there's what could he possibly be afraid of then too nothing right pet tigers bro wrestle with them I mean that was the crazy thing of him talking about when he found out that he could get a tiger yeah what I could get a tiger but he's so humble now it's so interesting and one of the more interesting things that he said that he doesn't train because he doesn't want to he doesn't want to fire his ego up you know he's like I don't like that part of me I don't want that part of me to come out again I don't I don't want it wasn't that video of him like I understand he doesn't train anymore wasn't that video I think last year just before he came in here and spoke to you where he's hitting the heavy bag I think it was a little bit longer ago than that but yeah he was doing it for something he still can crack man yeah still scary powers the last thing you see that he's doing a movie and there's a scene in a bar they're doing something and he just shows them a combination he just punches in the air no warm up lightning fast jab hook uppercut right hand it's like yikes it's all still there man 50 years old still fuck you up and that was that was like he was the heavyweight champion of my childhood yes like Muhammad Ali came before you know but but again Larry Holmes just doesn't get the credit it's like for whatever reason it's like in the first round when when Tyson fought Larry Holmes it made me think like damn what would have been like if Larry was in his fucking prime because when they fought Larry was like 36 or something like that somewhere around there it was already kind of over for him yep and Mike was Mike I mean Mike was black shoes no socks there it is right here why see and then the weave yeah I mean he just can't help I mean that was built into his system you know fuck I have no deadly he was he was such an interesting guy too because he was only like five he's probably like five eight and five eleven I think he's like five ten and a half something like that but to be a heavyweight and just so low and bobbing and weaving and moving in and everybody was like Jesus yeah you see him coming out like his hands right in your chest and then he's ripping your body and then uppercut that right hook to the body that uppercut behind it that he used on everybody he's on Frank Bruno he's on everybody boom right up the middle it's hard him or Francis Francis really Francis it's harder yeah he is harder I think so I think I think Mike Tyson it was a way better boxer yeah but I think if Mike Tyson can hit like Francis does just Francis just has to clip you he just like what he did a junior he just grazed him obviously they're different gloves obviously I just think Francis is such a way bigger man you know Mike at his prime was like 209 215 yeah around then I remember on on punch out I never beat him never be here