- The former heavyweight champion will face Jake Paul in Texas in November.
- Tyson suffered a medical scare in May that derailed the initial showdown.
- The 58-year-old has previously opened up about his years of substance abuse.
Mike Tyson called himself a “drug addict” and claimed he was born addicted just two months before his controversial fight with Jake Paul.
The former heavyweight champion was scheduled to face the YouTuber-turned-boxer earlier this summer before an inflamed ulcer forced the showdown to be rescheduled for November 15.
The fight has been criticised in many quarters for pitting the 58-year-old against his compatriot, 31 years his junior. Tyson has not fought professionally since his 2005 loss to Kevin McBride, although he did fight an exhibition bout against fellow boxing legend Roy Jones Jr in 2020.
With just eight weeks to go until the matchup, he has opened up even more about his substance abuse as he prepares for the clash at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
“I smoked marijuana all my life. Listen, I was born addicted. I was born this way. I’m a drug addict. That’s how I was born,” he said on the show. Come and talk to me podcast.
Mike Tyson has called himself a “drug addict” ahead of his rescheduled fight against Jake Paul
The 58-year-old had to kick his marijuana addiction for the fight, having previously revealed he is a daily user of the drug.
Tyson and Paul will face each other at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in front of 90,000 fans.
“I don’t know what to do. I don’t do drugs anymore, but that’s how I am. I trade my addiction for something else, but I’m a drug addict.”
He added: “I used to smoke recently. I’m fine now, I’ve probably been smoke-free for two weeks. Although before I came here I was taking a bit of mushrooms.”
Tyson gave up marijuana while training for the fight against Paul because it is on the list of banned substances used by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
According to a World Boxing News Report Earlier this month, fight regulators will not evaluate Tyson until the day before the fight. Therefore, there is a high risk that the fight could be cancelled just 24 hours before Iron Mike returns to the ring.
The result of the evaluation could cause the fight to go from being professional to an exhibition or even be cancelled.
However, Tyson is confident the fight will go ahead as planned and insists he is ready to dismantle Paul despite suffering a medical emergency during a flight from Miami to Los Angeles earlier this year.
Tyson felt nauseous and dizzy, forcing the flight crew to ask passengers if there was a doctor on board to assist him.
Fans have praised Tyson’s physique and punching power during recent training videos.
Paramedics boarded the plane, which had already been delayed for two hours in Miami due to the heat, once it landed in Los Angeles to provide treatment.
Asked if he would beat Paul, he replied: “Very bad.”
“In my fight with Roy Jones, I allowed him to fight on the undercard. I decided that I was the titleholder and that I was going to finish him.”