Back when Mike Tyson came out of retirement to trade hands with Roy Jones Jr. in 2020, several fans also noticed his sculpted physique besides his crushing punches, even at 54.

Despite retiring from professional boxing in June 2005, ‘Iron Mike’ looked anything but faded when he returned for his 2020 fight. He walked into the Staples Center like a shredded menace, powered by nothing but a ruthless carnivore diet.

Tyson reportedly ballooned to almost 320 lbs after retiring in 2005, when he stopped eating meat. However, he broke that vow for his fight against Roy Jones Jr and weighed in at 220.4 lbs. "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 episode #1805 of The Joe Rogan Experience.

The youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history also specified the types of meat he was eating. He stated, “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!"

His diet mirrored the famous 3,000–4,000-calorie routine he followed during his prime. The ‘Lockdown Knockdown’ clash ended in a draw, but it changed Tyson’s diet forever, so much so that five years later, ‘Iron Mike’ still looks shredded.

With that being said, let’s have a look at how Tyson used to eat during his prime days.

Mike Tyson Used To Chase Sugar Before His Fights

Back in 2019, ‘Iron Mike’ sat down with GQ for a backstage-stories conversation, where he revealed that he used to have steak before every fight. “When I was fighting, I ate a steak, some vegetables [before every fight],” said the 'Baddest Man on the Planet.'

That’s not surprising, but what is surprising is the fact that just an hour before the fight, he used to increase his glucose levels for more energy.

During the interview, Tyson also admitted, “And right before, an hour or so before the fight, I would have a chocolate bar and orange juice - just to get a quick sugar rush before I go in the ring,” Tyson said.

Well, this method also seems to be a scientific one since the carbohydrates in those foodstuffs provide the body with a blast of instant energy. No wonder most of his opponents fell before him.

Given that, is 'Iron Mike' your all-time favorite?

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Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Souvik Roy