Mike Tyson has at all times been blunt about his demons. From wild tales of extra outdoors the ring to brutally sincere reflections on habit, the previous heavyweight champion has constructed a status for candor that is as uncooked as his uppercuts as soon as have been.
Now, at 58, Tyson has dropped one other bombshell – this time about what he used to deal with the bodily toll of being boxing’s most feared fighter within the late ’80s and early ’90s.
Mike Tyson takes off his shirt and begins a avenue struggle in certainly one of boxing’s most iconic movies
On Tuesday’s episode of the Katie Miller Podcast, Tyson revealed that he turned to fentanyl, a drug now synonymous with America’s lethal opioid disaster, to cope with ache throughout his legendary run.
“It was a painkiller, and I used to make use of it to patch up my toe,” Tyson admitted. “It was like heroin – as soon as it wears off and you’re taking the Band-Assist off, you begin withdrawing, throwing up, similar to for those who have been on heroin.”
A Painkiller With Lethal Penalties
Tyson described the drug as “model new” when he first encountered it, saying he did not absolutely perceive its dangers. Fentanyl is an artificial opioid so highly effective that it is estimated to be 100 instances stronger than morphine. In keeping with the CDC, greater than 48,000 People died from illicit fentanyl overdoses in 2024 alone – making it the deadliest drug disaster in U.S. historical past.
For fighters, masking ache has at all times been a part of the job, however Tyson’s confession underscores simply how far some athletes go to maintain performing. His good friend and fellow boxer Arturo Gatti, who died in 2009, additionally battled opioids throughout his profession.
Tyson himself has confronted an extended, public struggle with habit. Lately, he is leaned into the marijuana trade as a safer various to painkillers and an outlet that has reshaped his picture in retirement.
The previous champion’s story is not nearly medication, although. It is also about resilience. Even after a extremely criticized loss to Jake Paul in November 2024, Tyson is gearing up for an additional large exhibition bout – a 2026 showdown with Floyd Mayweather that is already producing buzz.
If Tyson’s newest revelation proves something, it is that even the fiercest warriors of the ring fought non-public battles the general public not often noticed. For Tyson, fentanyl wasn’t a headline again then – it was simply one other option to preserve preventing.
