In 2020 boxing icon Mike Tyson dusted off his gloves for a special “Lockdown Knockdown” exhibition bout against former four-weight world champion Roy Jones Jr. Tyson came into the bout having retired 14 years prior, but managed to get back into incredible shape following a strict diet and exercise routine. And the boxing great has since revealed the secret to his incredible body transformation.
The former undisputed heavyweight champion was 54 years old at the time of the fight, with Jones three years his junior. The pair touched gloves in front of an empty Staples Center in Los Angeles, which saw YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul knock out three-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion Nate Robinson in the co-main event.
In 2020 boxing icon Mike Tyson dusted off his gloves for a special “Lockdown Knockdown” exhibition bout against former four-weight world champion Roy Jones Jr. Tyson came into the bout having retired 14 years prior, but managed to get back into incredible shape following a strict diet and exercise routine. And the boxing great has since revealed the secret to his incredible body transformation.
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The former undisputed heavyweight champion was 54 years old at the time of the fight, with Jones three years his junior. The pair touched gloves in front of an empty Staples Center in Los Angeles, which saw YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul knock out three-time NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion Nate Robinson in the co-main event.
The middle-aged boxers traded blows over eight two-minute rounds which ended in a split-decision draw. But despite the underwhelming scoreline, fans were left more surprised by Tyson’s abilities and physique having been retired for almost two decades. The key to his body transformation – intense exercise and elk and bison meat.
‘Iron Mike’s’ carnivorous diet came as a surprise to fans with the boxer becoming a devout vegan following his reported 27-stone weight gain after retiring. However, Tyson believes he feels better when eating meat than he did during the ten years spent on a plant-based diet.
“I stopped [a vegan diet] because of the training and because of what I wanted my body to look like and the strength that I wanted to pose,” he said during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. “I only eat elk and bison – wild stuff – and I’m starting to feel fit. I realised the stuff that’s good for other people – like kale, vegetables and blueberries – for me is really poisonous… Kale will kill me!”
The diet was similar to his well-documented 3,000 and 4,000 calories-a-day eating habit during his prime, where he competed in 58 professional fights – winning 50, with 44 of those wins coming via knockout.
His choice of food is a stark contrast to when he was vegan. In an interview with GQ Sports the year prior, Tyson said: “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.”
But it wasn’t just the addition of meat to his diet that helped him prepare for his comeback fight. The boxer also took part in a brutal training regime, telling rapper LL Cool J on SiriusXM radio that he started his new regime with two hours of cardio a day.
It was further reported he would follow the cardio with 10 rounds of sparring in the gym and various strength exercises, including pushups, tricep extensions, squats, weighed shrugs and neck crunches. The rest of the day would consist of more of the same, plus bag work and pads.
Almost three years on from the fight Tyson still appears in great shape and has recently re-entered the boxing world to train former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, who will fight Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia next weekend.