Mike Tyson went vegan, lost 45 pounds and is ready to step into the ring again

Mike Tyson went vegan, lost 45 pounds and is ready to step into the ring again

The legendary boxer managed to return to fitness after clinical obesity.

Mike Tyson is one of the most famous people in the history of sports. Now 53 years old, he is in great shape and is about to return to boxing. That’s incredible in and of itself. But if you remember what happened to the great boxer after the end of his career, it seems fantastic at all. Iron Mike went through every possible challenge, one of which was being overweight.

Rampant lifestyle and improper diet led to the fact that Tyson began to weigh 130 kg! The boxing legend was diagnosed as clinically obese. Mike reached the point of no return.

Problems with the law

Tyson announced the end of his career in 2005, but problems with the law and health began even before his final fight. Mike became addicted to alcohol and especially drugs, which became an indispensable attribute of every party with his participation. At first, it affected only the athletic form of the boxer, who with each fight, with each training looked worse and worse.

But at some point it went beyond the sport. He seemed to spend more time at the police station than he did at home. When he did get back in the ring, he was as aggressive as possible, but the technique was gone, and that aggression started to look downright ridiculous.

The mind-altering substances were having a negative effect on Mike’s psychological state. He simply stopped controlling himself. Meanwhile, the weight of the boxer reached 130 kg and continued to grow. Tyson was finally finished with the death of his four-year-old daughter in 2009. After weeks of deep depression, he realized that he wanted to change his life once and for all.

A vegan and a good father

Mike admitted that at first he didn’t take the idea of going vegan seriously. After all, he is a true boxing legend, a tough man who should eat steak with blood. But still, on the advice of his wife, he decided to try to give up all animal products. In the first six months, Tyson leaned on tomato soup with basil and drank only non-carbonated water.

The main reason for this change was the desire to be a good father. He realized that he had to be an example for his six children.

There’s no trace of the rugged Iron Mike left. His tough quotes, when he promised to tear his opponent to pieces, were replaced by philosophical thoughts and reflections on the universe, where the main role is played by warmth and care for others.

“I was almost dying.”

Tyson’s fans reacted with excitement to such changes in the life of their favorite boxer. They no longer wanted to see him handcuffed in disgusting condition. In 2013, Mike came on the show to Oprah Winfrey where he spoke candidly about what he was going through and how veganism helped him get through it all.

<...> Everything I do now is basically built on growing my life and my family. I lost weight, I lost 45 pounds. I just felt my life changing. And that’s how I became a vegan. Becoming a strict vegan gave me another opportunity to live a healthy life. <...> I had high blood pressure, was almost dying, and suffered from arthritis. Once I became a strict vegetarian, it all went away.

So Tyson went from being clinically obese to returning to the form of a 30-year-old athlete. This time he shocked fans on the positive side, and his return to the ring no longer looks fantastic.