TORONTO — Boxing great Mike Tyson is coming to the defense of Toronto’s scandal-plagued Mayor Rob Ford, saying, “We all make mistakes.”

In a rambling exchange with reporters after meeting Ford, the former world heavyweight champion said Tuesday Ford “has a troubled past because he has 24-hour surveillance of the press.”

Ford returned to work in June after a rehab stint for drug and alcohol abuse. The mayor became an international celebrity last year after he acknowledged using crack in a “drunken stupor” following months of denials.

“It’s not his fault, it’s just that he is living his life and we are human beings – we have no idea what you do behind closed doors,” Tyson said.

Tyson is in Toronto for his one-man show, “Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth.”