Mike Tyson on charity: 'It's erotic to me to help somebody'

Mike Tyson may be a legendary athlete, but that doesn't mean he doesn't take the time out of his schedule to help those in need.

During an interview between Shacknews CEO and editor-in-chief Asif Khan and Mike Tyson, the champ talked about what really gets him going: charity work. Tyson spoke extensively of his efforts to work toward bringing important causes to light, including drug addiction, prison reform, and the use of marijuana as a recovery tool for those addicted to harder drugs. Later, he reiterated that his passion in life right now is simply making people smile, as it takes on an "erotic' quality.

"I like to help other people. Me buying a lot of stuff for myself, that don't turn me on that much anymore," he said. "I wanna see some other people smile. I get off helping other people seeing other people smile. I don't know. It's erotic to me to help somebody." It can be truly fulfilling to see others wearing a huge grin. That's certainly not hard to dispute.

"You can have anything materially and not have self-respect," he said as a reminder during the call. "I don't get it [happiness] from helping me for some reason. Me buying myself a new car or mansion, it still doesn't work."

"Even though I believe sometimes I'm an idiot, I go into life as a teacher. By doing that, I start to learn," Tyson said of the ways he's learned over the years, changing into a more educated version of himself than the previous day. He may have made a few mistakes in his lifetime, but he genuinely seems to care about growth and moving forward.

Asif and Mike had a very fruitful and entertaining interview about a litany of topics: weed, Islam, and Mike's thoughts on whether there should be a new Punch-Out!! game on the horizon.

We'll continue to break out new stories from this particular interview over the next week or so. Keep coming back to Shacknews for tons more awesome Tyson coverage – and video game fun, of course.

Then, be sure to check out the #PlayApartTogether hashtag on social media platforms to find out how you can get more involved in helping the world heal from the ongoing pandemic.