Mike Tyson Says His Daughter Convinced Him to Confront Boosie's Homophobia

"I was Boosie at one time."

That's Mike Tyson explaining why he felt compelled to confront rapper Boosie Badazz over his history of homophobic comments ... saying he knows what it's like to go from ignorant to enlightened.

Tyson got right to the point with Boosie during a recent taping of his podcast, "Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson" ... condemning Boosie's offensive comments about Dwyane Wade's child Zaya, who recently came out as a transgender girl.

During the podcast, Tyson pressed Boosie on where his hate was stemming from -- wondering if Boosie's aggression comes from his own insecurities about his sexuality.

It was a powerful moment that seemed to have resonated with Boosie ... and Tyson has been cheered for the way he handled it.

But, Tyson tells "TMZ Live" the conversation probably wouldn't have happened if it weren't for his daughter -- who passionately told the boxing legend why Boosie needed to be set straight.

"My daughter," Tyson said ... "She flew all the way from New York City to Los Angeles, California where I'm at just to be there because she thought Boosie was so disrespectful she had to confront him."

Yeah, you read that right -- Tyson's daughter wanted to be the one to go after Boosie, but Mike wouldn't allow it.

Instead, Mike listened to what his daughter had to say and ultimately believed she made some solid points.

Mike said his daughter argued that Boosie's comments have been "disrespectful to the community" -- and she was so passionate about confronting him, Mike was concerned things would go off the rails.

"But, he conducted himself like a gentleman," Tyson said about Boosie ... "It went okay. It didn't go like I anticipated it to go. My daughter has a lot of courage and stuff."

Now, Tyson says he's rooting for Boosie to grow from their conversation and "win the fight over those demons."

There's more ... Tyson also explained to Harvey and Charles why he decided to make a boxing comeback and why he predicts "PAIN" for his upcoming opponent Roy Jones Jr. when they clash at Staples Center on Nov. 28.