Mike is an American former professional boxer. He ruled the ring from 1985 to 2005. Tyson won millions of hearts by winning his first 19 matches by knockout.
At the age of 20, Tyson claimed his first belt, which made him the youngest heavyweight champion. Throughout his boxing career, Tyson won many titles, hearts, and nicknames.
He is nicknamed “Iron Mike”, “Kid Dynamite”, and “The Baddest Man on the Planet”. Although Tyson had said goodbye to Ring in 2005, he shocked his fans by announcing his return.
In July 2020, Mike signed a contract with the former four-division world champion, Roy Jones Jr.
They were to face each other on September, 12. However, because of revenue collection, the match was delayed further and was scheduled for December, 28.
As Tyson was returning to the ring after 15 years, he had to make sure that he was in a good position.
The biggest challenge for Mike was losing weight as it might hinder his speed, which is Mike’s biggest strength.
Mike being Mike, embarked on his weight loss journey and ended up losing 100 pounds.
Mike Tyson’s Weight Loss Journey
This was quite a big shock for his fans and followers. By losing 100 pounds, Tyson proved that he might have become old but he was the same person who once ruled the boxing ring.
Talking about his struggle, he said, “It was difficult, but only for one particular reason. Because I had to lose 100 pounds. But other than that, I’ve always done this my whole career.”
And Tyson was 100% right about that. There is no doubt that in his prime, Mike was one of the all-time great champions.
In fact, people are still wondering if there has been a boxer who would have given Tyson a tough time in his prime.
And to become that great, Mike had to undergo a lot of struggle. He trained hard and nonstop.
That is how he became the champion. So, when it comes to losing weight, there is nothing new for Mike because he has been there.
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How did Mike Lose Weight?
In order to shed pounds, Tyson made some big changes to his diet. When he was asked about how he did that, Tyson replied, “I became a vegan. And it’s been working great so far.”
This might come as a shock for some of you given that throughout his life, Mike had been a meat lover.
However, not anymore. In order to defeat his opponent and to tell the world who is the champion, Tyson became a vegan. Along with becoming a vegan, he also gave more importance to how he exercise. Mike increased the duration of workout sessions to burn calories in a short time.
Tyson’s Diet Plan
As already mentioned, Tyson’s new diet plan consisted solely of vegetables. He would start his day, by taking a sip of green tea.
Along with that, Mike also ate oatmeal for breakfast and drank a protein shake. This breakfast was enough to start an energetic day.
And after breakfast, came a long session of working out, in which Mike would work out for two hours in the gym.
As he had become a vegan there was no meat in Mike’s diet anymore. So, for lunch and dinner, he would either eat a bowl of green veggies salad or uncooked vegetables.
Mike also ate a lot of fruit. In fact, on days, when he became bored with vegetables, Tyson would switch to eating fruits.
Not only did he eat vegetables, but he also drank them. Mike drank veggies and fruit juice. This healthy diet proved to be very helpful in losing weight quickly.
Before Mike knew it, he had shed pounds to face his opponent, Roy Jones. And was ready to step into the ring.
But it was not only his diet plan that made Tyson ready for the fight. There was exercise involved as well.
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Tyson’s Workout Plan
Being a retired athlete, Mike was already well-aware of the benefits of exercising. And he worked out on a daily basis.
However, after his fight was fixed with Jones, he became more active. Whereas before, Mike spent two hours working out, he started spending four.
While talking about his workout sessions, Mike said, “My wife told me to get on the treadmill. So I went from 15 minutes on the treadmill and I winded up ending at two hours.”
He also did a lot of cardio workouts while in the gym. Tyson’s main focus was on running. Because it is the fastest way to lose weight and he was focusing on returning to his prime time speed as well.
All in all, he increased the intensity of his workout sessions, which paid off in the end very well.
Before & After Weight Loss
All of Tyson’s hard work really paid off in the end. When Mike decided to step back into the boxing ring after a break of 15 years, he had already shed an impressive 100 pounds!
Before his transformation, Tyson weighed a hefty 310 pounds. But after his efforts, he slimmed down to 210 pounds. That’s a big change, and it shows how determined he was to get back in the ring.
Tyson Vs. Jones
Finally, Tyson and Jones faced each other on 28 November 2020. It was an 8 rounds fight and they fought for the full 8 rounds.
However, the match resulted in a draw. Three judges scored the fight: Vinney Pazienza (76-80 for Jones), Chad Dawson (76-76 Draw), and Christy Martin (79-73 Tyson).
Tyson Tried Not To Knock Jones Out
Throughout the fight, Mike tried not to knock Jones out. In fact, he had decided a long time ago.
“I’m not trying to knock nobody out, but I’m trying to protect myself at all times.”
By reading this statement, one can easily imagine how firmly Tyson believes in himself. Well, the good news is that he didn’t knock anyone out.
Mike Tyson isn’t Vegan Anymore
Another shock Mike gave to his fans was when he announced that he wasn’t a vegan anymore.
“I was a vegan for four years but not anymore,” Tyson said,
“I eat chicken every now and then. I should be a vegan. No red meat at all, no way! I would be very sick if I ate red meat. That’s probably why I was so crazy before.”
The Canadian baseball player, , has also shocked his fans by losing 45 pounds.
Final Words
There is no doubt that Mike Tyson is an all-time great fighter. He is at par with great fighters such as Muhammad Ali and Floyd Mayweather.
Mike is an all-time great because he made himself so. He earned it. And Mike Tyson is quite a great example for anyone who wants to pursue great things in their lives.
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