If you want to pull a heavy punch and drop your opponent’s face flat on the canvas, you need to be fit and boast power behind those punches. And Mike Tyson did it for several years. He would storm into the ring and leave his foes bamboozled with sheer force.

These questions kept the fans interested in the American fighter’s diet, eating patterns, and habits. However, those changed once he hung up his boxing gloves in 2005, and he soon adopted a strict vegan diet. But with his life and career trajectory changing again, he is adjusting to a different lifestyle.

When did Mike Tyson become a vegan? His comments about the vegan diet

Tyson, 58, shed light on his new plant-based diet with Oprah Winfrey in 2013. He had made the switch back in 2010, as he struggled with health problems after consuming a diet of steak coupled with intoxicants. He even credited his vegan diet for his well-being and shedding extra pounds. ‘Iron Mike’ said back then, “I lost weight. I dropped over 100lbs, and I just felt like changing my life, doing something different, and I became a vegan.”

He continued, “Becoming a vegan gave me another opportunity to live a healthy life. I was so congested from all the dr*gs and bad c*caine, I could hardly breathe. High blood pressure, almost dying, arthritis, and once I became a vegan, all that stuff diminished.”

Tyson followed the vegan diet for close to a decade and also agreed with the moral arguments of veganism. The 50-6 record holder voiced the same sentiments when he appeared in a conversation with GQ Sports in 2019. He had declared, “I don’t eat anything that has a mother and father… So, that means I only eat vegetables and stuff.”

Is Mike Tyson still a vegan? What does he eat now?

Tyson’s fascination with veganism didn’t last for long, and he would soon quit it somewhere in 2020. Therefore, he is not a vegan anymore. When asked about how the Brooklyn native was preparing for his coming fight with Jake Paul, he told Damon Elliott that he had picked up eating raw meat to help him.

However, when recently asked about the same in a Netflix interview, he denied picking up such a habit. “I would never eat no damn raw meat. My wife eats raw meat, but I don’t eat raw meat. The Japanese stuff—sushi,” the former world champion declared. But what made him quit the vegan diet?

Why did Mike Tyson leave the vegan diet?

Tyson had accepted the invite to make a return to the squared circle in an exhibition fight in 2020 against Roy Jones Jr. So, he had to make the adjustments according to his training and to make his body fit for a grueling affair in the boxing ring. He admitted to Joe Rogan that he was feasting elk and bison during his camp and training regime. The ‘Baddest Man On The Planet’ wanted his body to look a certain way, and he wanted strength, so he went to old eating patterns.

He announced, “I stopped [eating vegan food] because of the training and because of what I wanted my body to look like and the strength that I wanted to possess… I only eat elk and bison—wild stuff—and I’m starting to feel fit… I realized the stuff that’s good for other people—like kale, vegetables, and blueberries—for me is really poisonous.”

But Tyson has always looked back on his vegan days with appreciation. He continues to laud the health benefits of veganism, despite his drifting away from it in recent years because of his boxing career commitments. Hence, when ‘Kid Dynamite’ recently invested in a vegan food chain, it didn’t surprise the fans.

Mike Tyson invests in a vegan food chain

Tyson disclosed his plans to strategically invest in the plant-based QSR chain, Mr. Charlie’s Told Me So, through his holding company, Carma HoldCo. Carma HoldCo. is the parent company behind his TYSON 2.0 brand, and it released a press release on October 23 to specify its strategy to invest in the plant-based fast-food chain. Interestingly, the chain has made its mark internationally with its new take on fast food. In addition, it has a menu that catches the eyes instantly with its items, such as ‘Not a Cheeseburger’ and ‘Not a Chicken Sandwich’.

Talking about the same, Tyson declared, “Mr. Charlie’s is a natural choice for Carma Holdco as we diversify into the food industry. I very much believe in the healthy benefits of a vegan diet and was a strict vegan for many years.” The fast-food chain is now expected to expand its global footprint and open new outlets throughout the United States and other nations.

Everyone makes mistakes—even former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson! He found himself in a hilarious mix-up when social media sensation Hasbulla Magomedov dropped by his podcast last year. The TikTok star, who has growth hormone deficiency, appeared in Tyson’s Hotboxin with Mike Tyson podcast in March last year, when things took a hilarious turn.

During his appearance in the podcast, Tyson let the 26-year-old unload some punches, as he showed off his trademark bobbing and moving. But, out of nowhere, ‘Iron’ Mike grabbed hold of the social media star and playfully nibbled on his ear, which made Hasbulla visibly uncomfortable and the interaction awkward. The bizarre clip instantly went viral, amassing millions of views online.

As it turns out, Tyson didn’t realize Hasbulla was a grown man, who he took for a child. Fast forward to November 2024, as Tyson is about to step into the ring with YouTube star Jake Paul for a professional bout, ‘Iron’ Mike sat down with former unified super middleweight champion Andre Ward for an interview on All Smoke Fight.

During their chat, Ward couldn’t help but bring up the unforgettable moment between Tyson and Hasbulla, prompting Tyson to reflect on the day’s antics. “I thought it was a baby,” he admitted, his embarrassment creeping in as he recalled the hilariously awkward encounter. He reminisced about how things escalated to him picking up Hasbulla and, well, nibbling on his ear!

“I didn’t know. He was punching me. I don’t know, man. That’s how I am with children. I was hugging on this guy. He’s like 26 years old….,” Tyson chuckled. When Ward probed whether Tyson was just putting on a show for the cameras, Tyson quickly responded, “No, no. I did not know.” That said, the former heavyweight champion has bigger things to worry about.

He will fight Paul in an eight-two-minute round fight on November 15th at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas—live on Netflix. This bout will mark his professional comeback since losing to Kevin McBride in 2005. Regardless, speaking of recollecting the past, this actor recollected a violent encounter involving Mike Tyson.

Tyson Beckford recalls Mike Tyson allegedly caving a man’s chest in

Actor Tyson Beckford appeared in an interview with Vlad TV three years ago, where he shared a gripping story about his friend Mike Tyson while recalling a bar encounter. The actor described a confrontation with a man named Max Pierre, stemming from a past dispute over a woman. When Pierre confronted Beckford at the bar, Tyson intervened.

He punched Max in the chest, and…Max’s whole chest cavity came in and he went back…knocked him down,” Beckford recalled. The situation escalated, as Tyson furiously declared, “Don’t you ever disrespect him like that again! He’s a f**king icon!” Reflecting on the moment, Beckford said, “The look on Max Pierre’s face when he was gasping for oxygen…I thought he was going to die.” 

That said, Mike Tyson has an abundance of stories that continue to captivate fans and highlight the legendary heavyweight champion’s unique experiences. Among them, his encounter with Hasbulla stands out as one of the funniest.