Mike Tyson went through several untoward phases even after making his name as a boxer, which also included imprisonment. But even during his time in prison, Tyson trained relentlessly to shed fat. How? Well, let’s hear it from the man himself.

‘Iron Mike’ spent three years in prison starting from 1992, but even in prison, he refused to stop training. He adapted and worked out throughout those years. In 2022, Tyson appeared on an episode of The Pivot podcast, where he shockingly admitted, "I had the best three years of my life in prison.”

He also revealed his usual prison routine, saying, “I would do running, eight or nine miles around, and at nighttime, I would run for four hours just in my room, jumping and stepping, sweating. It was a concrete floor [in my room]; I indented it [with] my feet. I was 285lbs, I came out 218lbs, 215lbs.”

His training proved worthwhile. He returned stronger and more terrifying. In his comeback fight against Peter McNeeley in August 1995, he showed why he was the best. Less than a year later, he defeated Frank Bruno to win the WBC heavyweight title.

Many believed that prison time would have devastated him, but the opposite happened. Why? Because for him, it was the quietest time. He said, “I had peace, though. [Money] doesn't mean anything when you don't have peace. Just sit there within your balance. You need your sanity to dictate any part of life.”

It was peaceful, but not without attacks. Yes, someone really tried to test Tyson inside the jail.

‘People Will Try You,’ Said Mike Tyson About His Prison Time

While having a conversation with Playboy magazine back in November 1998, Tyson was asked if anyone had ever attacked him in prison. Responding to the question, he said, “People will try you. They'll try the strongest. You have to be a man. They'll try anybody."

"They start by saying something funny, something sarcastic, to see how far they can go. But you nip it in the bud. You don't let anyone get away with saying anything funny or sarcastic,” He said.

When the host asked whether anyone had ever tried to stab him with a knife, Tyson explained that they didn’t have enough tools like him, “They had them, but they didn't have anything I didn't have.”

While most can't even think of a life in prison, Tyson turned his sentence into a journey to rejuvenate himself. Inspiring, isn't it?

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Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Souvik Roy