BOXING legend Mike Tyson was so ‘p***ed off’ about ‘fighting a shark’ that he left the entire film crew scared. In August last year as part of Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, the former heavyweight boxing champion took part in a very special underwater challenge. Tyson, who struck fear in every opponent in the ring, looked […]
BOXING legend Mike Tyson was so ‘p***ed off’ about ‘fighting a shark’ that he left the entire film crew scared.
In August last year as part of Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, the former heavyweight boxing champion took part in a very special underwater challenge.
Tyson, who struck fear in every opponent in the ring, looked to have finally met his match as he took on a series of tasks involving the fierce predators.
Speaking on his Hotboxin’ podcast, the 54-year-old boxing icon was joined by UFC chief Dana White, who helped get him the shark gig.
Tyson joked: “He gets me a job on shark week, he really cares about me, Dana really cares about my well-being.”
Then White explained how Tyson’s mood wasn’t the best on the day of the dive.
He revealed: “I got you a TV show, I got you Shark Week, so he had to go down and swim with these sharks
“And I heard the day he had to go and swim he was super p***ed off and the whole crew were scared that day because Mike didn’t want to get in the water with the sharks.
Tyson added: “They came over and the boat started rocking and I thought I was going to get boat sick.
“I’d rather the shark eat me out of the cage.”
Tyson ended up putting a shark to sleep by tickling its nose while scuba diving – but only after throwing up and admitting he was ‘scared to death’.
Iron Mike was pitted against the shark over three rounds, dubbed “Tyson vs Jaws”.
And it ended with him achieving ‘tonic immobility’ – a temporary state of inactivity in the shark.
The first part of the challenge saw Tyson cage-diving with lemon sharks.
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In the second round the ante was upped with an open ocean dive where he had to push the sharks gently away if they got too close.
By the final stage Tyson threw up before diving nearly 50 feet underwater without a cage.
He had to grab a shark and try to induce tonic immobility, which he did by grabbing its nose as it swam past him.
Tyson, who made his boxing comeback in December with an exhibition draw against Roy Jones Jr, travelled to the Bahamas for the challenge.
