I was on verge of dying, says Tyson

Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson has claimed he is on the verge of dying from ongoing drug and alcohol problems.

"I wanna live my sober life. I don't wanna die. I'm on the verge of dying, because I'm a vicious alcoholic." Tyson said on ESPN's Friday Night Fights. Tyson, now a promoter, told a news conference, "I'm a bad guy sometimes. I did a lot of bad things, and I want to be forgiven.

"So in order for me to be forgiven, I hope they can forgive me. I wanna change my life, I wanna live a different life now," the former champion said.