The Top 3 Words I Learned From Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson is no angel. Everything one writes or says or profiles about the man (perhaps deservedly) has to be prefaced with the fact that he has a personal history that I don't endorse, support, or advocate. He was convicted of a horrific crime, spent a large part of his life indulging in the worst aspects of the human experience, and is nothing if not flawed.

Okay, now that that necessary disclaimer is out of the way, let's acknowledge a few other things: his knockouts were works of art and his vocabulary was straight up impressive. A lot of the documentation of Mike's eclectic and interesting verbiage seems to be based around this misconception that he's a buffoon who uses big words to sound smart but ends up using them incorrectly.

That's not actually the case.

I've never met Mike, and I have no idea what he's like as a person. But I do know that his knowledge of boxing is legendary and he seems to be an incredibly well-read individual. As a boxing fan and a fan of the English language, I can tell you that I have actually learned quite a bit from Mike Tyson interviews and statements.

So, in celebration of the iconic boxer's 50th birthday today, here are a few words I gleaned from him along the way. All definitions courtesy of Merriam-Webster.

• impregnable: adjective im·preg·na·ble \im-ˈpreg-nə-bəl\
  1. incapable of being taken by assault : unconquerable
  2. unassailable; also : impenetrable

Mike's use:

Perhaps the most legendary of Mike's many legendary interviews, this comes from the build-up to the eventual showdown (and letdown) that was the Lennox Lewis/Mike Tyson fight in 2002. Bonus word in this one: impetuous.

Happy 50th, Mike. Here's to 50 more years of teaching the world new words.