5 Things You Probably Didn’t Know about Mike Tyson

Listing the five things you probably didn’t know about Mike Tyson. Read on to know more!

Five lesser known facts about Mike Tyson

From being the youngest heavyweight champion to owning tigers, Mike Tyson is a man of many trades. His pugilistic skills inside the squared circle are often held in high regard. Tyson, though, is quite the character of the ring as well. The boxing legend is gearing up to celebrate his 58th birthday on June 30.

During his younger years, Tyson often found himself in trouble. However, with age, he became more mature and fans now get to see a different version of ‘Iron’. He has several interesting facts about his eventful life. In this listicle, we list the five facts you probably didn’t know about Tyson.

Interesting facts about Mike Tyson

#1. Mike Tyson is the youngest heavyweight champion ever

Mike Tyson faced Trevor Berbick for the heavyweight title on November 22, 1986. He was only 20 years old at that point while Berbick was 36. Tyson came into the fight with a pro record of 22-0 with 21 of those wins coming via knockout.

‘Iron’ dominated Berbick from the word get-go and earned a second-round TKO win. He became the youngest heavyweight champion ever, a record that stands to this day.

#2. Mike Tyson had three tigers as his pets

Mike Tyson was the owner of three tigers in the 1990s, Boris, Storm, and Kenya. He spent USD 70K to buy them, USD 125K to house and feed them, and USD 125K to train them. Tyson once explained on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast how his car dealer helped him get those tigers.

‘Iron’ said, “He said, ‘Yeah man, you can get cougars, lions, tigers.’  said, ‘You do?! Can you get me some tigers?’” While Tyson was initially offered horses in exchange for his cars, tigers were certainly more unique as his pets.

#3. Mike Tyson refrained from sex for five years

Mike Tyson refrained from having sex for five years because he thought it’d help him maximize his performance inside the squared circle. Tyson, though, regrets that decision as he once told The Sun,

“I was so stupid. I just went by what people told me. ‘This is what you’re supposed to do, girls are gonna mess up your boxing.’”

#4. Mike Tyson fought high on cocaine

Mike Tyson once acknowledged that he fought opponents while high on cocaine. Tyson revealed he used to have a fake penis from where he used the urine to fool drug testers.

In his autobiography, Tyson acknowledged that he used to do cocaine from the age of 11 and termed himself addicted to the drug. Tyson also told The Telegraph,

“I had to use my whizzer, which was a fake penis where you put in someone’s clean urine to pass your drug test.”

#5. Mike Tyson bit two different opponents

Mike Tyson infamously bit Evander Holyfield’s ear in their second fight, leaving an open cut on Holyfield. However, he also bit Lennox Lewis on his leg. Tyson and Lewis had a heated press conference encounter in 2002.

Lewis later recalled Tyson biting him, and he said as per the NY Post, “The first three punches were mine and the first bite was his. I was shocked that he was biting me on my leg. I’ve never been bitten by a human before.”
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Mike Tyson, over the years, has toned down a lot. He is set to face Jake Paul in November in a boxing match. However, ‘Iron’ is not as ferocious as a person of the ring as he once was. When training, though, he still looks as sharp as ever.