Bobby Brown Shares How He and Mike Tyson ‘Keep Each Other on Solid Ground’ After Their Kids’ Tragic Deaths (Exclusive)

Fame and friendship brought Bobby Brown and Mike Tyson together years ago, but sadness made their bond even stronger.

The Grammy-winning New Edition singer, 55, opened up exclusively to PEOPLE in a new interview about the boxing champ, 57, who supported him at the Bobbi Kristina Serenity House Gala, a March 4 domestic violence charity event held in honor of Brown’s late daughter with Whitney Houston.

In 2015, Bobbi Kristina died at the age of 22 after being found unresponsive in a bathtub at the home she shared with ex Nick Gordon. The singer also lost his son Bobby Brown Jr., who died of an accidental overdose at age 28.

Bobby Brown and Bobbi Kristina Brown.

Paul Archuleta/Getty, Tiffany Rose/WireImage

“We’ve come a long way back,” Brown says of Tyson. “When he first started fighting and I went solo, we hung out a lot.”

However, the two became even closer after both experienced the loss of a child. For Tyson, the unthinkable happened in 2009 when his 4-year-old daughter, Exodus, died after accidentally choking on a cord.

Mike Tyson’s 4-year-old daughter has died

The two fathers are still there for each other as they grieve through the years. “His support is great,” says Brown. “The fact that he is my friend and I have someone else to talk to to get through, because he also lost a child, and to have him as a friend means everything to me.”

Still, Brown admits that more often than not they don’t want to talk about their painful losses. “We try to stay out of it,” he says of intentionally talking about other things with Tyson. – That is always in the foreground, but we try to keep each other on solid ground.

Lakiha Spicer, Mike Tyson, Bobby and Alicia Etheredge-Brown on March 4 at the 4th Annual Bobbi Kristina Serenity House Gala.

Arnold Turner/Getty

Mike Tyson, 57, returns to boxing for a live match against Jake Paul, 27, on Netflix

And they continue to root for each other.

This summer, Tyson is set to return to the ring for the first time in years, facing Jake Paul, a controversial influencer turned fighter who is 30 years his junior. The match will take place in Arlington, Texas and air during a special live stream on Netflix on July 20.

Jake Paul, Mike Tyson.

Alexander Tamargo/Getty, Gilbert Flores/Penske Media via Getty

“He’s really looking forward to it,” Brown says of his friend. “I’ll be front and center, making sure he does what he plans to do. He’s going to hurt that guy. Mike’s in great shape. I don’t think that guy realizes who he’s signed to.”

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Source: HIS Education