• 2010
• 2009
• 2008
• 2007
• 2006
• 2005

What is RSS?  

In a live interview broadcast earlier today on Sky News, Mike Tyson ruled out a comeback. He told Sky News presenter Dermot Murnaghan that he is not interested in fighting again and described himself as fat and overweight.

He also spoke to Dermot about Barack Obama’s Presidency and the confidence it has given his son, and accused Dermot of ‘irritating’ him when questioned about his past.

On a come back:

Dermot Murnaghan: In terms of boxing, it was mentioned at the weekend that you may be thinking of boxing again?

Mike Tyson: No that’s not true, who told you that?

Dermot Murnaghan: I read that you were on stage with Don King in Las Vegas.

Mike Tyson: Who am I going to fight, I’m 43 years old, I’m fat and I’m overweight, who am I going to fight, really, be honest?

Dermot Murnaghan: Well, George Foreman?

Mike Tyson: No I’m not interested in doing that.

Dermot Murnaghan: George made a come back at 45, quite successful, won a title.

Mike Tyson: I’m not going to be that successful, I’m not that guy, I don’t love this stuff no more, I don’t love this boxing stuff no more.

On Barack Obama:

Dermot Murnaghan: As an African American you obviously keep an eye on politics, and the election of Barack Obama, almost exactly a year ago, was seen as an amazing thing around the world, do you think it brings more hope to America in terms specifically about racial integration?

Mike Tyson: I believe that race is just an insignificant form of some kind of power structure and it’s always going to be racism. Racism is never going to stop. Blacks have been slaves for 500 years. Now that we have a black president after 500 years, are things going to change? No. [Inaudible] It’s exciting for my son to see that, my son has a different opinion of it, my son has more confidence than I have because of Barack Obama, and my confidence is sky high and just think my son is 11 years old and he has more confidence and belief than me that he can be president. I never believed that I could be president, but he believes he could be president.

On Davie Haye:

Dermot Murnaghan: I was wondering if you know David Haye who was the last boxer I talked to. British boxer, he’s fighting this giant, Valuev, the Russian, he’s fighting him in Germany. As a smaller boxer yourself in terms of stature, how you take on these big guys with the big reach?

Mike Tyson: It’s not necessarily the size of the guy, it’s the spirit, the competitiveness in his heart, if the guy wants to fight he can be 4ft 2” and fight a guy 6ft 9”. If you want to fight, you’re going to fight and you’re going to do well, that’s just the average of law here in the game of boxing. If you’re really going to do it, you’re going to do well.

Responding to questions about his past, Tyson told Dermot he was ‘irritating’ him:  

Mike Tyson: What do you want to get from this interview, what are you trying to elicit from me?

Dermot Murnaghan: I want to see how much you changed Mike. You’re a different person now aren’t you?

Mike Tyson: I don’t know if I am or not, I don’t want to be the person I was but change comes in time, change comes really in time. You’re irritating me now. I guess I did change because I’m not assailing you but you’re irritating me right now because I feel that you’re evoking stuff from the past and that stuff is 15, 20 years ago.

For more from behind the scenes with Mike Tyson and his entourage go to skynews.com

For further information and stills please contact:

Francoise Frost

Sky News Assistant Publicist

T. 07824 834825

Notes to Editors:

Since its launch in 1989, Sky News has established itself as a formidable and innovative force in the world of news broadcasting. It now provides news to around 145 million people in 36 countries in Europe alone, with distribution across Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

Valued for fairness, balance and journalistic objectivity by both viewers and regulators, the award-winning channel has also earned a reputation for the speed of its 24-hour coverage and flexibility in reporting live news – first.

In addition to its status as one of Europe's leading 24 hour news channels, skynews.com is one of the fastest growing websites on the continent and reaches way beyond its eight average and half million monthly unique users.  It serves text and video to Britain’s commercial radio websites, to giant animating billboards in all major railway stations in the UK seen by 56 million commuters a fortnight, to passengers on Virgin Atlantic flights, and more than 500,000 iPhone users via the most downloaded news application in the country.

In March 2009 Sky News Radio became the sole provider of national and international news to all commercial stations in the UK – reaching around 31 million listeners in total – when it took over the contract to supply IRN stations, in addition to its existing clients.

Sky News won a Golden Nymph at the 2009 Monte Carlo Television Festival for Best 24 Hour News Programme for its coverage of the Mumbai terror attacks. Sky News was also named Best News Service at the Broadcast Digital Awards 2009 and Skynews.com won the Association of Online Publishers award for website of the year, 2008.

back to the article list...

• Help & accessibility |
• RSS |
• Site map |
• Privacy statement |
• Terms & conditions |
• Designed by oneshoe