Former heavyweight king Mike Tyson has the urge to put the gloves back on and fight again. Sort of. The 53-year-old, who has generally kept himself in shape since retiring almost 15 years ago, has recently ramped up his training, and now he has the desire to take part in some four-round exhibition bouts for charity.
A big name participating in a boxing exhibition can lead to big money (see Floyd Mayweather and the big, and easy cash “Money” has pulled in from an exhibition). And Tyson remains, of course, a big, big name. And unlike Mayweather, “Iron Mike” is not looking to line his own pockets – he wants to help, as he put it when speaking with rapper T.I on his Instagram Live show, “some homeless and drug-affected motherf****r like me.”
“I’ve been hitting the mitts for the last week. That’s been tough; my body is really sore from hitting the mitts,” Tyson said. “I’ve been working out; I’ve been trying to get in the ring. I think I’m going to box some exhibitions and get in shape. I want to go to the gym and get in shape to be able to box three or four-round exhibitions for some charities and stuff.”
And Tyson’s current training regimen is one to put a peak heavyweight fighter to shame:
“I do two hours on cardio; I do the bike and the treadmill for an hour, then I do some light weights, 300, 250 reps. Then I start my day with the boxing thing. I go in there and hit the mitts, 30 minutes, 25 minutes, start getting in better condition. I’m starting to put those combinations together. I’m in pain; I feel like three guys kicked the shit out of me.”
Tyson took part in some exhibition bouts in Las Vegas not too long after his final fight – that awful loss to the big and strong but not much else Kevin McBride – and the fan interest was considerable. Even now, at age 53 and seemingly happiest on his marijuana ranch, Tyson would likely be able to draw a lot of fan attention. Also, even now, who would want to take a shot, or a combination, from the man who ruled the world all those years ago?
