Following his exit from professional boxing in 2005, Mike Tyson dabbled in the pleasures of his retirement- food, alcohol, and even drugs. This led to an unhealthy weight gain. Tyson has said before that he was also often depressed after his retirement.
After a few years of unhealthy consumption, Mike Tyson finally decided to change his ways for the better. In 2010, he shared that he had switched to a completely vegan diet and refused to eat “anything that has a mother and father“.
Considering that he talked about being a strict vegan diet in a 2019 GQ interview, it could mean that he remained vegan for the better part of the decade.
“I don’t eat anything that has a mother and father. If you were created through a mother and father, through any kind of intercourse, I won’t eat you. So that means I only eat vegetables and stuff,” said Tyson in a 2019 interview.
However, things changed once again as he booked his comeback fight against Roy Jones Jr in 2020. To prepare, Mike Tyson ditched his vegan diet and started consuming meat again to bulk up and add muscle mass for this mega heavyweight clash.
What changes did Mike Tyson make before the Roy Jones Jr fight?
For his comeback fight against Roy Jones Jr, Mike Tyson got off his usual vegan diet. To prepare for this mega heavyweight clash, the youngest heavyweight champion doubled the intensity of his training and usual workouts.
Days before his comeback fight, Mike Tyson revealed in an interview that he had switched to a ‘one meal a day’ approach. He said that it is not the craziest idea.
Tyson highlighted that even some of the greatest gladiators did the same and that most of them were vegetarian or vegan.
‘Iron’ Mike even said that one can’t let emotions and feelings take control of decisions. He suggested that one requires some degree of control to pull off the ‘one meal a day’ approach.
“Now I’m going on that one meal a day thing.
Listen, that’s not crazy because the greatest gladiators that ever lived, they’re all vegetarians, vegans in that violent sport. In that vicious, violent sport, these are vegan competitors.
“You can’t let your emotions and your feelings control you. You eat, no you control your body, your body’s only purpose is to carry your brain, your body can’t tell you what to do,” said Mike Tyson.