Tyson and Daley Talk About Youth Violence

By Lindsey Miller in News on Oct 16, 2009 9:40PM

Oh, to have been a fly on that wall: former world champion boxer Mike Tyson stopped in to see Mayor Daley this afternoon after appearing on Oprah this morning. He and Daley became acquainted a few years ago, and Tyson stopped in today to say hello and talk about youth violence with the mayor during a 30-minute private meeting. Tyson said he has a unique perspective on the subject because he grew up in rough parts of Brooklyn.

"Kids need to have vision, they need to have somebody they respect," said Tyson as he emerged from the mayor's office. "They respect somebody who's been through what they've been through."

"Just as much energy as they put into doing and selling drugs and killing one another, that same energy can be put into something positive," Tyson said. "I was one of them. I'm that guy. I'm that guy that probably got shot the other day. I'm probably the guy that shot the guy the other day. I understand. I understand the pain."

Tyson became acquainted with boxing trainer Cus D'Amato when he was a teenager, and believes it was his trainer who kept him from falling into a life of crime. This morning, Tyson was joined on The Oprah Winfrey show by Evander Holyfield, a former rival whom he hasn't seen in over ten years. Tyson bit off a piece of Holyfield's ear during a title fight in 1997.