Mike Tyson faces Jake Paul: A comeback filled with surprises
After 15 years since retiring, Mike Tyson is returning to the ring. The heavyweight legend will face YouTuber and boxer Jake Paul in Texas on 15 November in a controversial bout, criticised for the 30-year age gap.
Mike Tyson, the youngest heavyweight champion in history, who won the title at just 20 years old, last fought an exhibition match against Roy Jones Jr in 2020. His return to the ring is surprising, as are the unconventional methods he employs in his life.
According to the British newspaper "The Sun," Tyson began using toad venom in 2019 to combat substance addiction. This practice involves extracting venom from the Sonoran Desert toad's glands, drying it into a crystalline form, and smoking it in a pipe. The effects include alleviating depression and post-traumatic stress but can also lead to panic and loss of self-identity.
Tyson's first experience with toad venom lasted 20 minutes and was terrifying for him. Gerardo Sandoval, a pioneer of this practice, said, "At the beginning he thought he was actually dying. He was demanding that I make it stop. He launched himself towards me. He tried to give me a punch, then the toad fully grabbed him and he fell. It gave him a knockout."
Since then, Tyson has used toad venom over 50 times. He stopped taking antipsychotic and sleeping medications. "He wasn’t sad or angry any more," Sandoval added. "He started to lose weight, he changed his diet, he shifted into a healthier mode of living."
Tyson lost €275 million
Outside the ring, Tyson built a cannabis empire that brought him a fortune. After once going bankrupt, losing €275 million earned during his career, his company achieved nine-figure revenues last year. It is predicted that his fortune will grow by another €37 million after the fight with Paul.
Tyson is training intensely for the upcoming fight, working out six days a week in Las Vegas. He is supported by his wife, Lakiha Spicer, who is considered the brains behind his business ventures and supports him in training camp.
Billy White, a childhood friend and former trainee of trainer Cus D'Amato, compared Tyson to a phoenix.
Cus always taught us that age was nothing but a number, and Mike has looked 25 years old in that ring," said White. "Cus always taught us that age was nothing but a number, and Mike has looked 25 years old in that ring."
