Mike Tyson wished Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs well just minutes before the disgraced rap mogul was denied bail for the third time.
In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, the 58-year-old boxing legend was questioned about his ties to Combs, 54, who will stand trial in May 2025.
Tyson, who has known Combs for decades, seemed surprised when he learned of the speculation surrounding his name in the wake of the rapper’s arrest on a string of sex trafficking and extortion charges last month.
‘Wait, am I synonymous with Diddy? Well, that’s great,’ he said. “I never knew that.”
When asked if he had anything to say, he replied: “I wish him the best.” I wish him the best in life.”
Mike Tyson wished Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs well just minutes before the disgraced rap mogul was denied bail for the third time.
In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com, the 58-year-old boxing legend was questioned about his ties to Combs, 54 (pictured together at a Cannes Film Festival party).
Combs has been locked behind bars since he was arrested and charged with racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking and transportation into prostitution on Sept. 16.
Since then, more than 120 victims have come forward, but Combs maintains his innocence.
On Thursday he appeared in court, surrounded by his family, where his bail application was denied for the third time.
A judge offered a trial date of May 5, 2025 at the request of his powerful legal team.
Prosecutors said they estimate their case will take about three weeks, while Combs’ attorneys say they will need about a week to present their case.
Following Combs’ arrest, videos emerged of the Bad Boy Record founder allegedly acting inappropriately with other celebrities; one of those videos from 1998 features Tyson.
Combs and Tyson are seen joking around on a couch during an interview with Damon Wayans.
While talking about a time he fell on stage, Combs puts his hand next to Tyson’s leg.
“I wish him the best,” he said of the record label mogul. ‘I wish you the best in life’
Tyson, who has known Combs for decades, seemed surprised when he learned of the speculation about his name following the rapper’s arrest (pictured together in 2017).
Tyson grabs Combs’ hand and points to his fancy watch in what has been interpreted as an apparent attempt to calm the situation.
“It’s really about the Benjamins we see,” Tyson says.
The former world heavyweight champion has been photographed with Combs at multiple events over the years, with the pair partying together at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008 and enjoying a boxing match at Madison Square Garden in 2004. .
They also sat together to watch the super welterweight boxing match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor in August 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Tyson opened up about their friendship in an interview last year, in which he described Combs as “amazing” and jokingly referred to him as “Sugar Diddy.”
“I’ve known him for a long time,” he told PBD Podcast host Patrick Bet-David. ‘I knew him before he was Diddy and for a long time. When I first became champion, I met him.
‘I remember, I used to have boxes when I was at my after parties and stuff. Also when they had parties.
Bet-David said: “A lot of people in music and Hollywood feared this ‘Diddy’ guy, like he was untouchable.”
Tyson responded, “Oh, honey, Diddy.”
Combs appeared in court on Thursday, surrounded by his family (pictured), where his bail request was denied for the third time.
The rapper was denied bail for the third time, with a judge offering a trial date of May 5, 2025 at the request of his high-powered legal team.
Tyson’s recent comments were a far cry from those of Kevin Hart, who attempted to disassociate himself from the disgraced music mogul when questioned by DailyMail.com last month.
The comedian, 45, was asked if he remembered seeing any of the now-infamous baby oil bottles found in Combs’ home when he had “hosted parties” for the Bad Boy founder.
‘When I hosted Diddy? “You’re asking the wrong question to the wrong person,” he responded.
When asked if Combs would be safe in jail, Hart again tried to deflect the answer.
“Wrong person, wrong question,” he replied before going to dinner with his bodyguard and his wife Eniko Hart, 40.
Tyson, nicknamed “The Baddest Man on the Planet,” was the undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion in the 1980s.
But his career was overshadowed by his controversies.
In 1992, he was convicted of raping teenage beauty queen Desiree Washington in Indiana and served three years in prison.
In 1997, just a year after his release, he bit rival Evander Holyfield on both ears. He was disqualified and temporarily suspended from boxing.
Tyson’s recent comments were a far cry from those of Kevin Hart, who attempted to disassociate himself from Combs when questioned by DailyMail.com last month.
In divorce papers, his ex-wife, actress Robin Givens, claimed their late-1980s marriage was characterized by “unprovoked bouts of violence and destruction.”
Tyson declared bankruptcy in 2003 and retired from professional boxing in 2006.
He has since appeared on the TV shows Entourage and Brothers, and had a cameo in the hit 2009 comedy film The Hangover.
He is currently preparing to fight Jake Paul, four months later than scheduled after he was forced to withdraw due to an ulcer.
‘Iron Mike’ was initially going to fight Paul on July 20, but experienced a health scare on a flight from Los Angeles to Miami that forced him to postpone the highly anticipated fight.
“I was eating too much bad food and stuff, and I got sick,” he told DailyMail.com.
Last month, Paul said he would give Tyson $5 million more if he lasted more than four rounds, but said the former undisputed world heavyweight champion would have to get an “I love Jake Paul” tattoo if he couldn’t reach that mark. .
