Mike Tyson, during a recent break from training for his fight with Jake Paul, reflected on fatherhood.
He has six children ranging in age from 13 to 34.
“Well, listen, there’s a long journey because everything didn’t start out the way it is today,’’ Tyson told USA TODAY Sports. “You know, I was a young kid. I was really basically only based my life on my career. I didn’t think much about my children. I was very self-centered at that time.’’
As a result, Tyson said, he did not have a good relationship with his children.
“As time went on in life, going through adversity, we’ve grown and gained a bond and we’re friends now,’’ he said. “But I had to go through the difficulties.’’
There also was tragedy. Tyson’s daughter Exodus was 4 when she died accidentally when she strangled on a treadmill cord.
“But I had to go through the difficulties to receive the ease,’’ Tyson said of his relationship with his children, “and I’ve very happy to have gone through the difficulties with them.’’
A look at Tyson’s children:
Michael “Miki” Lorna Tyson
Age: 34
Mother: Kimberly Scarborough
Although his first children is a girl, Tyson bestowed his name on her. She now goes by “Miki’’ and as a child struggled with obesity.
In 2016, she appeared on the cover of Queen Size Magazine and said she’d lost about 150 pounds from her highest recorded weight, 390 pounds.
“I have been battling obesity my entire life,’’ she said.
Of herself, she told the magazine, “Michael is a triumphant girl from Harlem who loves life, culture and people. Many people can find me intimidating because they know my stock and I recognize I tend to have a lioness glare about me.’’
That year Miki modeled at Harlem Fashion Week, her breakout event.
On Oct. 31, Miki looked drastically slimmed down in a photo posted on her father’s Instagram page marking the recent release of a song she wrote and performed.
Ramsey Tyson
Age: 28
Mother: Monica Turner
Born a girl, Rayna, Tyson’s second-oldest daughter, now goes by Ramsey. Ramsey is a transmasculine and nonbinary individual who uses they/them pronouns, according to “Them,’’ an online magazine that covers the LGBTQ+ community. Ramsey also uses the pronouns on their Instagram page, which is set to private.
He was telling the story of how during Tyson’s former podcast, Ramsey confronted Boosie Badazz, a rapper who had made transphobic comments after Dwyane Wade’s child who was born male came out as transgender in 2020.
Tyson lauded Ramsey for addressing the matter with Boosie.
“Part of the reason why I wanted to talk to Boosie about it is because I’m a nonbinary person who’s socially transitioned amongst my friends and started a medical transition,” Ramsey told “Them” magazine. “I felt like I couldn’t not say something.”
Ramsey graduated from film school at New York University in 2018. According to IMDb, they were a set staff assistant on “The Joker” in 2019 and a research intern on “The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson.”
Amir Tyson
Age: 27
Mother: Monica Turner
In September, Mike Tyson and his oldest son, Amir, did commentary during Cage Wars 67, an MMA event in Schenectady, New York.
It was more than a lark for Amir.
He’s expected to participate in Netflix’s livestream of his father’s fight against Paul, and he’ll be drawing on professional experience.
In 2016, when he was an 18-year-old freshman at American University, Amir was among more than 100 people cited for suspected underage drinking at an off-campus party, according to WUSA9 TV.
After graduating from American University in 2019 with a degree in broadcast journalism, he put the degree to work. He was part of Triller’s coverage of an exhibition bout between Manny Pacquiao and DK Yoo in 2022, DAZN’s coverage of the heavyweight fight between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou in 2023 and DAZN’s coverage of the super middleweight bout between Edgar Berlanga and Padraig McCrory in February.
Amir also has his own streetwear brand, Debonair Attire.
Miguel Tyson
Age: 22
Mother: Sol Xochitl
He is a skilled pianist and global traveler who has attended the University of Southern California and thrived despite tragedy.
On May 26, 2009, Miguel was 7 when he discovered the lifeless body of his 4-year-old sister Exodus. According to police, Exodus died when a cord dangling from a treadmill became wrapped around her neck in the home where Mike Tyson lived with his then-girlfriend, Sol Xochitl.
Mike Tyson later addressed the death of his daughter.
Miguel’s Instagram page documents a busy year. He worked with Prince Jackson, son of the late Michael Jackson, for the Heal Los Angeles Foundation; spent time in Africa living with the Maasai, a semi-nomadic tribe that has faced violent evictions from its land; and visited London, the Faroe Islands of Demark and Hawaii.
“I kind of always felt like he was thinking on a much bigger level than for his age, and really was looking to do something major to help humanity,’’ said Tim Blenkiron, a tennis coach who worked with Miguel’s younger sister Milan. “I always thought was pretty cool.’’
Milan Tyson
Age: 15
Mother: Lakiha “Kiki” Tyson
Milan, who will turn 16 next month, is a promising tennis player with Grand Slam connections. She knows Serena Williams and has trained with Williams’ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, at his academy in France. Yes, there’s videtaped footage. And she plans to turn pro next year, Mike Tyson said during a Netflix documentary to promote the fight.
Milan’s tennis career was forged in the Las Vegas area, where she worked with Blenkiron, a highly regarded coach at No Quit Tennis Academy.
“She hits forehands like Mike does right hand punches,’’ said Blenkiron, who’s also the executive director and owner of the tennis academy. “Not only is she a strong athlete, a powerful athlete, but she plays very, very free and doesn’t appear to get overly stressed on the tennis court. So that combined with the fact that she looks like she loves the training, I think you could never say that a player like that is limited on potential.’’
The Tennis Recruiting Network rates Milan a four-star recruit but Blenkiron said he thinks she’d be a Top 100 player if she turned pro. Earlier this year, she notched signature victories over two five-star recruits: Summer Chandler and Samvrutha Jawahar.
Morocco Tyson
Age: 13
Mother: Lakiha “Kiki” Tyson
On Jan. 25, 2011, Mike Tyson became a father for the seventh time with the birth of Morocco Elijah Tyson. It was the same year he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
A photo posted on Morocco’s Instagram account – yes, he has his own Instagram page, “managed by parents’’ – shows him wearing boxing gloves when he was still a pipsqueak. Combat sports appeared to lead him elsewhere. A photo posted by his grandmother on Facebook on Nov. 9, 2019 shows Morocco wearing a taekwondo uniform.
The caption says Morocco successfully earned his green belt and, “He broke his board in one hit.’’
He also has played golf and tennis and posed for an especially sweet photo with his father.
Follow Josh Peter on social media @joshlpeter11