11/18/2024
Mike Tyson’s story has always been about more than boxing. Last night, at 58 years old, he stepped into the ring to fight Jake Paul, a man 31 years his junior. Like many of you, I found myself hoping to see some flicker of the old Mike - the warrior who dominated the ring. But what I saw was something far more profound: a man stepping into a new stage of life.
It took me back to when Mike was just 14 years old, speaking to Muhammad Ali on the phone. That call only happened because Cus D’Amato, his trainer, reached out to Ali, asking him to give the young Tyson some guidance. Ali obliged, and Mike, full of fire, made Ali a promise: “WHEN I GET BIG, I’m gonna get him (Larry Holmes) for you. I’m gonna avenge you. I’m gonna restore your honor.”
And he did. Mike became the warrior Cus always believed he could be—a force of nature in the ring. (You can hear Mike recall this moment in the video.)
I remember that era vividly because I was boxing at the same time. My own “career” lasted only about a year and a half of training and sparring - not exactly a Tyson-level resume - but I felt the pull of the sport, the discipline, the fight. Watching Mike back then was like watching something larger than life, something I could never imagine stepping into myself.
But time changes all of us. Last night, it wasn’t the warrior we saw. Mike’s legs couldn’t carry him like they once did, but his fight wasn’t about reclaiming the past. It was about stepping into something new. They say our 50s are a time of integration - a chance to weave together the lessons of youth and middle age in preparation for what’s next: stepping into elderhood.
That’s what I saw in Mike: a man becoming an elder. Not the perfect, larger-than-life hero we project onto, but a real elder - wise, humble, and deeply connected to something greater. In an interview afterward, he said he was proud of his performance because his kids saw him step into adversity at his age. He wants to be an example, and he’ll find his way - but it will be his way.
Watching him reminded me how often we place our hopes on others, expecting them to carry what we won’t. Maybe last night’s fight was a nudge to stop waiting for heroes and start becoming the people we’re meant to be.
