“[Tupac] was really happy after the fight. He came to a press conference with me. We was just talking a bunch of sh*t. I went home and then he left.” Mike Tyson, fighting back tears, recalled these words about his close friend Tupac Shakur during Real 92.3’s Big Boy’s Neighborhood in 2018. The night of September 7, 1996 still lingers in the shadows of history. Shakur had been at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, cheering Tyson on in his bout against Bruce Seldon.

Hours later, he would leave the arena as part of a convoy, seated in the passenger side of Suge Knight’s black BMW 750i. At the corner of Flamingo Road and Koval Lane, fate struck. A white Cadillac pulled up beside them, its silence broken by the sudden crack of gunfire. Bullets tore into the BMW – four of them finding Tupac. Days later, the world lost him, and Mike Tyson lost a brother. For Tyson’s family, even after nearly three decades, the loss is still fresh.

What did Tupac Shakur think that day? 

Recently, an Instagram account shared a post commemorating Tupac Shakur’s death on his anniversary, reflecting on a tragedy that remains one of the darkest moments in hip-hop history. The post also revealed details of the personal items found with him that night: 47 one-hundred-dollar bills, a twenty-dollar bill, three yellow gold rings with white stones, a yellow bracelet set with white and red stones, a yellow ear post with small white stones, another bracelet adorned with round angel heads, a yellow ear post with a large white stone, and a yellow crown ring decorated with red and white stones.

Mike Tyson’s son, Amir J. Tyson, reposted it on his Instagram story and added his own heartfelt message for the late rap icon. “Damn, that many years since my guy died,” Amir wrote. “All he probably thought that day was he gonna see his homie do his thing, not knowing it would be his last day alive smfh crazy work #riptothegoat,” he added.

Amir wasn’t even born when his father’s best friend was killed. In fact, Tyson and Shakur’s bond had been forged years earlier, meeting at events and clubs where they connected over shared experiences with fame, adversity, and street life. 

Tyson admired Tupac’s fearless energy, while Tupac respected Tyson’s raw intensity in the ring. Even today, while Amir grieves the loss, Tyson continues to carry the weight of guilt over that fateful night.

Mike Tyson reveals he felt guilty about Tupac Shakur’s death

In a 2020 interview with DJ Vlad, Tyson revealed that he still felt guilty over the tragic death of his close friend. He believes that his influence played a key role in the rapper being in Las Vegas on the night he was fatally shot. “I feel a little guilty about him coming to the fight and me pressuring him,” Tyson said. 

Tyson shared he had promised to join Shakur at Club 662 afterward, but stayed home instead. “I was supposed to go out with him that night … but I just had a little baby and her mother was provoking me to stay home, so I stayed home,” he recalled. Further reflecting on the tragedy, he admitted, “This is just what happens in my world … Just because it was 2Pac and I was attached to it, it was different.”

Even after all these decades, Mike Tyson and his family continue to carry the memory of that fateful night. For Tyson, it lingers as a source of guilt, while for his son, it remains a moment of mourning for a legend he never met. What are your thoughts on the matter?