“I’m really looking forward to getting in the ring with Jake Paul and kicking his ass.”
Boxing legend Mike Tyson wants to show the world, and especially his opponent, who is 30 years his junior, on November 15, that “Iron Mike” is not yet rusty.
For months, videos of “Mike Tyson training” have been circulating on the internet, in which the former heavyweight world champion shows how fit he is at 58.
Tyson’s last professional boxing match was in 2005, since when he has enjoyed life and been broke. For the fight against Jake Paul, he is returning to the big boxing stage for the last time – and this is what Mike Tyson’s training looked like!
Mike Tyson training: sparring, weights & mushrooms
How has Mike Tyson prepared for the boxing match against Jake Paul in the last few months? What did Mike Tyson’s training look like? Especially the older boxing fans and those who saw and admired Mike Tyson in his former glory days will ask themselves these questions.
In an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on September 23, “Iron Mike” gave a few insights into the tough Mike Tyson training.
“I train extremely hard. I start at 11 a.m. and don’t leave the gym until 5 p.m.” He admitted that he takes a ‘little break’ during his 6-hour day and varies the type of training during those six hours.
“After I finish boxing, I get a massage for an hour, and then I go straight into strength and conditioning training,” he said.
Tyson is a well-known cannabis aficionado who has spoken about the role of the plant in his workouts before. However, he confessed that he quit smoking and sex to be able to better focus on training for the fight.
When Kimmel asked him about his current consumption, Tyson replied that he does indulge a little, “but not lately.”
When asked if he plans to be high for the fight against Jake Paul, Tyson quipped, “I’ll be so high on life,” as the audience cheered. When Kimmel tried to clarify whether he would be high on marijuana, Tyson grinned, “That’s a possibility too.”
While Jake keeps talking, I’m going to keep training. Going to fuck him upPaulTyson pic.twitter.com/HlCYaFq4ok
— Mike Tyson (@MikeTyson) October 19, 2024
Cannabis is not the only drug that has played a role in Mike Tyson’s training in preparation for the Jake Paul boxing match.
When he spoke to Logan Paul – Jake’s brother – on the Impaulsive podcast last month, Tyson confessed that psilocybin mushrooms were a great help for his training sessions.
“I have to take them when I train,” he confessed. ‘I always train with my mushrooms.’
Why is Mike Tyson on drugs in training? ‘I train on mushrooms because they make me feel beautiful. It takes me to heaven.’
What does Mike Tyson’s training look like?
Mike Tyson’s training is not only the big topic now before the boxing match against Jake Paul – it already caused amazement when he prepared for his exhibition match against Roy Jones junior in 2020.
Once again, he is working with trainer Rafael Cordeiro, who had already coached him four years ago in preparation for the exhibition back then. The 50-year-old Brazilian is a former martial artist himself and founded the Kings MMA gym in 2010.
At the time, “Iron Mike” lost over 30 kilograms with Cordeiro, transforming a lot of fat into muscle mass. Six-pack instead of flabby belly, so to speak. A look at Mike Tyson’s training at the time showed how he managed it.
A day back then began at 4 a.m. with a run and ended at 9 p.m. with video study. In between, there were hours of sparring and fitness sessions.
A day in Mike Tyson’s training
- 4:00 a.m.: Get up, run 4-8 km
- 6:00 am: return, shower, bed
- 10:00 am: wake up, breakfast (oatmeal with fruit, orange juice, vitamins & protein shake)
- 12:00 noon: 10 rounds of sparring, three sets of fitness routine
- 2:00 p.m.: lunch with carbohydrates, proteins, vegetables and water
- 3:00 p.m.: 4-6 rounds of sparring, bag, punching ball, skipping rope, Willie bag, speed bag, 60 minutes of ergometer and 3 fitness sets
- 17:00: 4 fitness sets & slow shadow boxing with one technique
- 19:00: Dinner (chicken with rice or steak with noodles)
- 20:00: 30 minutes on the ergometer for regeneration
- 21:00 Watch TV or video study of fights & bed
The impressive thing about Mike Tyson’s training before the Jake Paul boxing match is that the processes and routine hardly differ from those with which he was previously successful in the 1980s and 1990s!
Even back then, Tyson started his training day at 4 a.m. with an endurance run and then went back to bed. In the morning there was boxing training and after lunch another short nap.
Why did Mike Tyson’s training start at 4 a.m.? Because he “knew that the other guy didn’t,” which gave him the psychological assurance that he was working harder than his opponent, which is important to instill the sense that you are entitled to win.
Running trained the cardiovascular endurance (heart and lung strength) essential for endurance in the ring.
Stretching was important to prevent injuries. Boxing jumps and sprints were used to develop explosive strength in the legs and train the anaerobic system.
Mike Tyson training at 57 years old and he still got it pic.twitter.com/z6XeoneEon
— Historic Vids (@historyinmemes) February 16, 2024
In the afternoon, Mike Tyson’s training was much more intense than it is today.
By way of comparison: an afternoon Tyson work-out used to consist of 2000 squats, 2500 sit-ups, 500-800 dips, 500 push-ups, 500 shrugs with a 30kg barbell and 10 minutes of neck training. He divided the bodyweight exercises into a circuit of 10 sets. That means he did 200 squats, 250 sit-ups, etc. in 10 rounds.
Understandably, “Iron Mike” no longer does this – although he still completes very impressive sessions. Especially for someone who is almost 60 years old!
Due to the large number of repetitions, Tyson didn’t need to do much training with weights. The intensity, but also the simplicity of bodyweight exercises, improve his muscular strength without compromising his natural physicality.
The importance of nutrition and sleep
Another important part of Mike Tyson’s training, then and now, is nutrition.
For breakfast, he has oatmeal, an extremely healthy food. Low glycemic meals like oatmeal are known to improve endurance for later workouts and increase fat burning during exercise.
Lunch and dinner consist of carbohydrates (rice or pasta) and protein (chicken or steak). The carbohydrates were a great source of energy for the whole day, allowing him to train for essentially 8-10 hours a day.
Sleep should not be underestimated in Mike Tyson’s training. Both at night it serves to recover and during the day it is important for regeneration.
