Former world heavyweight boxing champion, Mike Tyson, has revealed that he had to shed a whopping 38 kilogrammes in preparation for his comeback fight with Roy Jones Jr that has been postponed until November 28 due to Covid-19.
He further stressed that fat-shaming inspired him to kick start a weight-loss regime, thereby turning the negative comments made by analysts in this regard into motivation.
“If somebody’s with me, I find out he thought I was a fat motherf***er and didn’t tell me, I wouldn’t be his friend no more.
“You say body shaming hurts some people, it helps me.
“I never looked at it as fat-shaming,” he said.
The 54-year-old previously blamed cocaine and alcohol for his weight gain following his retirement from the ring.
“At one time I was just 41kgs overweight, I was doing cocaine, I was drinking and I said Allah if he can stop me from being this way, I’ll change my whole life,” the US athlete told reporters.
“And eventually, I got married, my life started to change, and I started working out.”
Tyson added he was grateful he wasn’t living the life he was living before.
The father of eight has been training for his fight against Jones since March and is set for his return to the boxing ring come November at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.
Meanwhile, Tyson and Jones Jr have been told that their planned return to the boxing ring is “plain dangerous and wrong” by the brain injury association, Headway.
The former boxing world champions confirmed their intention to make a comeback against each other in an exhibition bout, with 54-year-old Tyson looking to return to the sport 15 years after he last fought.
Fifty-one-year-old Jones Jr has not fought since February 2018, but Tyson announced on social media that the pair have agreed to an exhibition bout in that will be broadcast on pay-per-view television.
Jones Jr, who made his name at super middleweight, light heavyweight and cruiser weight, admitted that he is at a massive physical disadvantage against former heavyweight world champion, Tyson.
”It’s very risky,” he said. “I was better than anybody in any weight class I was in. He’s a giant. I’m the little David, who only has God on my side, but that’s all I need.”
But the fight plans have been condemned by Headway’s deputy chief executive, Luke Griggs, who believes that their age combined with their deteriorating condition makes the bout a “dangerous” idea that could leave either of them seriously hurt or even dead. It’s understood that head guards will not be used by either fighter, and they are set to wear 12oz gloves that although they offer more protection from each punch can still inflict significant damage.