Boxing legend Mike Tyson is not taking any chances as he prepares for his July 20 fight with YouTuber cum boxer Jake Paul. In a recent interview on The Damon Elliott Show, Tyson, 57, revealed he’s currently abstaining from sex and marijuana as he gets in shape for the highly anticipated bout in Texas.
“Two and a half weeks I haven’t smoked,” the former world heavyweight champion revealed, per USA TODAY. “And I haven’t had sex for 2½ weeks.”
It also appears Tyson’s period of abstinence may be longer as he told Forbes’ Will Yakowicz in another interview that he hasn’t actually had sex or gotten high in six weeks. “Right now, I’m living my life disciplined. It’s been six weeks that I haven’t gotten high or had sex,” he said. “I haven’t done that since I was a little kid.”
And though Tyson admitted he hates that he’s currently unable to smoke, he said he’s “doing it like I love it; I hate not being able to sleep with my wife, but I’m doing it like I love it.”
Tyson trying to get in the best of shape comes after the fight was officially sanctioned as a professional bout. According to BBC, this means that the results of the fight will subsequently reflect on their records.
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation said it sanctioned the fight as a professional one with “certain waivers” after it reviewed records and the medical history of both Tyson and Paul. The agency manages combat sports in the state.
“The safety of the contestants competing in the ring or the octagon is always the primary concern,” the TDLR said. The fight, however, has some conditions. It cannot go beyond eight rounds and two minutes per round. Tyson and Paul are also required to wear 14oz gloves instead of 10oz.
Meanwhile, Tyson’s publicist told USA TODAY Sports that the 57-year-old is avoiding marijuana because he doesn’t want to violate any rules ahead of the fight. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation has listed marijuana as one of its banned substances.
Tyson’s professional career ended in 2005 and he has not fought since he and Roy Jones Jr. met in a 2020 exhibition that ended in a draw. Paul has won nine of his 10 boxing fights, usually against ex-UFC fighters. His only defeat was when he came against British heavyweight Tommy Fury in February last year, according to BBC.
