How smoking toad venom changed my life – Mike Tyson

Boxing
By Mirror | May 21, 2019
Ex-World boxing champion Mike Tyson [Courtesy]

Mike Tyson has revealed smoking toad venom has mellowed him.

Former heavyweight champion Tyson was one of the most feared boxers in history due to his explosive style but also had problems away from the ring.

The American served three years of a six year sentence for raping a teenager in 1991.

But cannabis advocate Tyson no longer wants to been seen as a monster or leave a terrible legacy and believes that the hallucinogenic drug, which is found in Sonoran Desert toad of northern Mexico, has helped temper him.

“I don’t want to be that monster when I die, I don’t want to be remembered as that guy," Tyson, 52, told ESPN Player.

"He is very toxic and dangerous for my family and my wife. He doesn’t care about them but they are all I care about.

Tyson has revealed smoking toad venom mellowed him [Courtesy]

“But I know what it took to make that guy and the experiences we went through to make him so I know he will not disappear overnight.

“I really don’t have much regret. My violence, my drug habits, my reckless sexual escapades, my street fights and car accidents, all that time is over and I am still here so now it is about making a better life for my family. I am grateful for existing and having another life.”

“Once I smoked it, everything went boom! When I came down my brain was functioning and I could talk but I was saying ‘I f***ed up’.

"I killed myself because I killed my ego and my life totally changed.

“It sounds like a movie script but it’s the real deal and now I wake up smiling and laughing and I wonder ‘what the f*** happened?’

“It lasts forever but it only took 15 minutes. As soon as I realised I was nothing, all my fancy stuff didn’t matter.

“When you think you know everything and then you realise you don’t know anything, then it is a big awakening. You can call it growth or divine intervention.

“I won’t say it is God but it was the death of my ego, I felt so naked and afraid because all I ever had was my ego and that made me a very special and famous person.”

Share this story
Frenchman Mette off to winning start as Tusker edge Murang'a Seal 1-0
Frenchman Julien Mette has bagged his first win as a SportPesa Premier League coach after leading former champions Tusker FC to a narrow 1-0 win over Murang’a Seal
FIFA boss 'very reassured' about World Cup in Mexico despite violence
FIFA president Gianni Infantino says he is “very reassured” about Mexico hosting matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup despite recent violence following the killing of a drug cartel leader.
Mourinho, the unwelcome guest at Madrid's home
Jose Mourinho has not set foot in the Santiago Bernabeu since leaving Real Madrid in 2013, but his Champions League homecoming with Benfica on will be complicated.
Government, private sector seal partnership for WRC Safari Rally 2026
Government has announced a new partnership with the private sector ahead of the sixth edition of the WRC Safari Rally 2026, signalling a shift in the organisation
Indiza, Wakhu, Mediratta start early preps for 2027 MKO
Three Kenyan pros, David Wakhu, Dismas Indiza and Mohit Mediratta, have commenced preparations for the 58th edition of the Magical Kenya Open slated for next year.
.
RECOMMENDED NEWS