The New Edition star tells PEOPLE exclusively that he and the boxing legend have bonded as grieving fathers

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

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

In 2015 Bobbi Kristina died at 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 28 years old.

“We go way back,” Brown says of Tyson. “When he first started fighting and I first went solo we did a lot of hanging out together.”

That said, the two grew 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 herself with a cord.

The two fathers have continued to be there for one another as they grieve through the years. “His support is great,” says Brown. “Him being a friend of mine and having someone else to talk to to get through, because he also lost a child, and just to have him as a friend, it means everything to me.”

Still, Brown admits they choose not to discuss their painful losses more often than not. “We try to stay away from it,” he says of purposefully talking about other things with Tyson. “It’s always in the foreground, but we try to keep each other on solid ground.”

And they continue to root for one another.

This summer Tyson is set to return to the ring for the first time in years, facing off against 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 live special on Netflix July 20.

“He’s really looking forward to it,” says Brown of his pal. “I’m going to be there front and center, making sure that he does what he plans on doing. He’s going to hurt that boy. Mike’s in great shape. I don’t think that boy realizes who he actually signed a contract with.”