"Vicious alcoholic" Mike Tyson battling drug, alcohol problems

Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson has revealed that he is "vicious alcoholic" who is scared that he is "on the verge of dying".

Tyson appeared as a guest pundit on ESPN's Friday Night Fights and admitted he has been suffering for longer than many people had previously thought.

"I wanna live my sober life. I don't wanna die. I'm on the verge of dying, because I'm a vicious alcoholic.

"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.

"I haven't drank or took drugs in six days, and for me that's a miracle.

"I've been lying to everybody else that think I was sober, but I'm not. This is my sixth day [of being sober]. I'm never gonna use again."

Tyson successfully defended his world heavyweight title nine times in the late 1980s.