“I was born that way.”
Boxing icon Mike Tyson has made a controversial admission ahead of his fight with Jake Paul.
The former heavyweight champion was due to face the YouTuber-turned-boxer earlier this year, but a medical emergency put a stop to their hyper-publicised fight.
The match had to be rescheduled when Tyson suffered from an inflamed ulcer flare-up, with the hotly anticipated encounter pushed back to November 15.
The big day will be Iron Mike’s first fight since the exhibition against fellow boxing legend Roy Jones in 2020. Tyson hasn’t fought professionally since his loss against Kevin McBride in 2005.
Iron Mike hasn’t fought professionally since 2005. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Netflix)
Ahead of the fight, Tyson admitted being ‘a junkie’, saying he was ‘born an addict’. The pro boxer explained he often smokes marijuana, though he had to give it up recently in the lead-up to the fight against Paul.
“I smoked weed all my life. Listen, I was born an addict. I was born that way. I’m a junkie. So, that’s just how I was born,” Tyson said on the Come And Talk 2 Me podcast.
“I don’t know what to do. I don’t get high now, but that’s who I am. I switch my addiction to something else, but I’m a junkie,” he continued.
The boxer also revealed he had taken another drug not long before appearing on the podcast.
“I was smoking not too long ago. I’m cool now, probably two weeks or so without smoking,” he said. “I did a little mushrooms before I came here though.”
Tyson has given weed up while training to fight Paul because marijuana is on the list of banned substances used by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
According to World Boxing News, his health will only be assessed on the day before the fight (November 14).
This means that there is the chance the fight will not take place, particularly after Tyson’s medical scare in May.
The fight against Jake Paul has been rescheduled in May. (Steve Granitz/FilmMagic)
On a fight from Miami to Los Angeles, the former boxer stared feeling dizzy and nauseous, forcing flight attendants to ask if there was a doctor on board. Paramedics boarded the plane once it landed in LA after the flight was delayed by two hours in Florida because of the heat.
Despite the emergency, Tyson seemed still set to beat Paul ‘very badly’.
“On my fight with Roy Jones, I allowed him to fight on the card. I decided I started him and I’m gonna finish him,” he said.
Featured Image Credit: Steve Granitz/FilmMagic and Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Netflix
