Mike Tyson said he quit more than just marijuana in preparation for his fight with Jake Paul.
The former heavyweight champion said he also stopped having sex.
“I haven’t smoked in two and a half weeks,” Tyson said in an interview on The Damon Elliott Show. “And I haven’t had sex in two and a half weeks.”
Ahead of the game, a video of an undated interview was posted on YouTube on Saturday, sparking intense interest.
In a video interview with Forbes Life magazine, Tyson said it was even longer. “I didn’t get high or have sex for probably six weeks.”
Tyson, 57, said that quitting marijuana and sex is related to his discipline as he prepares to face Paul, 27, in a bout scheduled for July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. He told Forbes that he is.
“I live a disciplined life now, so I have to fight disciplined from now on,” he said.
Tyson said in a 2018 television interview that he had refrained from sex for about five years, apparently because he believed it would make him a better boxer.
“I’m an idiot, you know,” he told Graham Bensinger during an interview at the time. “…I just followed what people said.”
A spokesperson for Tyson told USA TODAY Sports that Tyson will abstain from marijuana in order to abide by the rules for his fight with Paul. Marijuana is on the list of prohibited substances enforced by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which oversees martial arts in Texas.
Mike Tyson takes off his top
During his professional boxing career, Tyson was well known for wearing black trunks. Lately, he’s been attracting attention even when he’s not wearing it.
In March, a week after his fight with Paul was announced, Tyson appeared shirtless and threw a medicine ball to the ground in a video posted to his Instagram account. Earlier this month, a photo of Tyson shirtless at a memorabilia show was posted on his Instagram account.
One of those photos had a caption that read, “Yes, to show you what you’re betting on, I went shirtless.”
This phenomenon continued during an interview on The Damon Elliott Show. This time, Tyson was proud of his physique as he took off his shirt, saying it was because the air conditioning wasn’t working.
“It’s an unbelievable situation at this moment,” the boxer said with a smile. “Mike Tyson, 58, looks like an Adonis superstar.”
Tyson will turn 58 on June 30th.
Mike Tyson says friends and family are a problem
The interview with Damon Elliott took an unexpected turn when Tyson was asked if he was nervous preparing for the fight.
“No,” Tyson answered, “and I said, ‘Wow, how many friends am I going to lose? Or is my family going to turn against me?'”
Elliot asked, because everyone wanted a prize.
“No, they’ll understand anyway, but they’ll still hate me anyway,” Tyson said. “I’m going to give them everything, but they’re still going to say, ‘(expletive) I hate you.'”
“I can handle the enemy,” Tyson continued. “But God, please protect me from my family and friends. I can handle enemies. Enemies are fine. I have family and friends, and it’s just a little problem.”
Tyson suggested the problem stemmed from his being in the spotlight.
“It always lit me up,” he said. “The darker I was, the brighter it was.”
