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On Sunday, football fans tuning in to the Super Bowl game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots will also get their first look at an ad featuring a well-known professional boxer.
Legendary boxer Mike Tyson, long known as “the baddest man on the planet,” joined Pakinomist Channel’s “Jesse Watters Primetime” Friday night to discuss his personal health journey.
“I’d get up in the morning and I’d eat a lot of nothing, Captain Crunch cereal…probably two huge bowls of it for breakfast. And then later in the day, I might go get some ice cream. I’d just eat a lot of junk food when I’m at my worst. Just junk food, drink…disastrous. It wasn’t good for my friends at the time, I didn’t think my wife at the time felt for me.”
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Mike Tyson during an open training session, held at the Toyota Music Factory in Irving, Texas, ahead of his heavyweight fight with Jake Paul on November 15, 2024 at AT&T Stadium. (Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
When asked what steps he took to get his health back on track, Tyson said, “I first started walking 10 minutes a day… I started walking 10 minutes up to an hour. Then I stopped eating everything. (All) I started eating was tomato soup and rice and water.”
The former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world emphasized the importance of taking care of the physical body. “We only have one body. And we have one chance to really indulge in it. So I wanted to be in the best shape possible.”
Tyson has experienced health problems in the past. Shortly before landing on a flight to Los Angeles in the summer of 2024 ahead of his high-profile fight with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, he received medical attention. However, medical staff recommended that Tyson only engage in “minimal to light exercise over the next few weeks” at that time.
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“During a follow-up consultation on Thursday with doctors regarding his recent ulcer flare-up, the recommendation is that Mike Tyson do minimal to light training over the next few weeks and then return to full training without restrictions,” reads a statement released in late May 2024.
The event was originally scheduled for July, but was postponed to November 2024. Paul ultimately defeated Tyson by unanimous decision. While the match reportedly drew a record crowd, the stream was marred by widespread technical issues.
Mike Tyson speaks on stage during Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match Arlington press conference on Texas Live! on May 16, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images for Netflix)
Prior to the 2024 bout, Tyson had not fought competitively since his 2005 TKO loss to Kevin McBride. He returned briefly in an exhibition match against Roy Jones Jr. in July 2020.
Tyson said he is looking forward to getting back in the ring, adding that he wants to go head-to-head with Floyd Mayweather Jr. “We’re going to make it happen on April 25th … around that time somewhere.”
While Tyson competed in the heavyweight division and Mayweather won titles in multiple weight classes, none exceeded the 154-pound junior middleweight limit. Mayweather’s last official victory in a sanctioned fight came in 2017 against MMA star Conor McGregor.
Former professional boxer Mike Tyson attends the Celebration of Smiles Event hosted by Dionne Warwick on her 81st birthday to benefit medical charity Operation Smile and The Kind Music Academy on December 12, 2021 in Malibu, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images)
Tyson’s relationship with President Donald Trump goes back decades. Tyson credited Trump with pushing him to compete in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
“It was just a good idea when he decided to have me fight in Atlantic City … I just didn’t like Atlantic City back then. I just wasn’t an Atlantic City person and he made me an Atlantic City person … I even moved there once. I lived there for a few years.”
