Mike Tyson has had one of the greatest boxing careers but it also involved controversies galore. After retiring in 2005, the former heavyweight champion recalled instances from his career that would not have passed in open daylight. One of those instances was when he cheated during a drug test.
During an episode of his podcast ‘Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson,’ in 2020, Tyson had Jeff Novitzky as a guest. Novitzky is the Senior Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance for the UFC. Tyson admitted to using a “whizzinator,” during the podcast. According to CBS Sports, a whizzinator is “a prosthetic penis that someone trying to get away with using another person’s urine to pass a drug test employ.”
“It was awesome, man,” Mike Tyson said while opening up about his exploits using the device. “I put my baby’s urine in it. And sometimes, one time I was using my wife’s and my wife was like, ‘baby you better not hope that it comes back pregnant or something.’ And I said nah, so we ain’t gonna use you any more, we’re gonna use the kid. Cuz I got scared that the piss might come back pregnant.”
Tyson will be taking on Jake Paul in an exhibition bout in Arlington, Texas, on July 20, 2024. Texas has some stricter rules. The former heavyweight boxer might put the fight in jeopardy if he tries to use such tactics again.
Mike Tyson addressed his marijuana usage leading up to the fight against Jake Paul
Tyson consumed marijuana on a regular basis. He smoked it on all of the 250+ episodes of his podcast and also sells it. However, recently his spokesperson claimed that he has stopped consuming the drug.
“He only stopped as a means of following all of the rules,’’ Joann Mignano, Tyson’s publicist, told USA TODAY Sports by email, “but he is still a strong advocate for the medicinal benefits of cannabis for his personal well-being and others like him.’’
On April 2, 2024, Tyson had also said that he would stop smoking leading up to the fight. He previously claimed that he would not be shooting any more episodes of his podcast and would not smoke anymore.
A Message to my Hotboxin’ fans 🥊 pic.twitter.com/vX3I7jQBCR
— Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson (@hotboxinpodcast) March 20, 2024
“I don’t think I’ll be smoking for this fight, and I think I’m going to be really, really irritable and nasty,’’ Tyson said on April 2 on Fox News. “… Normally I do. But for this particular fight, I think I’m going to go raw and naked.’’
Tyson, who admitted to smoking marijuana during the day of his fight against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020, might find it difficult to stop. However, his training videos show that he is serious about this fight against Paul and he will show up in the best possible health condition.
Mike Tyson has admitted to consuming various banned substances but has always been against PEDs in boxing
Soon after his career was over, Mike Tyson admitted to using illegal substances such as ‘mushrooms’ and marijuana. The former heavyweight champion’s addiction to alcohol and drugs like cocaine is also very well known. However, he has always been against the use of Performance-Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) in sports that involve physical confrontation. He even called it an “attempted murder.”
In a video shared on Instagram, Tyson said, “I am not against steroids or none of that stuff, right? Because everybody is using it, right?… But it shouldn’t be used in sports where people are physically fighting.
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“It should be (used) if you wanna run fast, or you wanna swim faster. Anything, except physical confrontation. It’s criminal you’re gonna hit a man. That’s attempted murder.”
Tyson was away from boxing for four years because he went to prison in 1991. He even faced a ban after he bit Evander Holyfield’s ear during a fight. However, he has never faced a ban for testing positive for PEDs. His only drug-related ban was a 90-day suspension after his fight against Andrew Golota in 2001. Tyson won that fight but he refused a pre-fight drug test and tested positive for marijuana post-fight which turned the result into an NC.