Mike Tyson’s fascination with killer animals continues — now he’s taking on a shark
Mike Tyson has had some regrettable moments when it comes to wild animals.
The former boxer, who once owned three white tigers, admitted that attempting to domesticate such a dangerous creature was foolish.
“They’ll kill you by accident,” the boxer told The U.S. Sun. “Especially when you’re playing rough with them, you’re punching them back. They get hyped up, hit you back and you’re dead.”
Let’s hope the former heavyweight champion remembers that important life lesson when he comes face to face with one of his worst fears: a shark.
In a new Shark Week special titled “Tyson vs. Jaws: Rumble On the Reef,” which will air Aug. 9 on Discovery Network, Tyson will “take on” a shark while ring announcer Michael Buffer calls the action, Entertainment Weekly reported.
“I took on this challenger to overcome fears I still deal with in life,” Tyson said in a statement, according to EW. “I equate this with overcoming my fear of getting back into the ring at 54 years old. I learned from this experience doing Shark Week that whatever intimidates me, I am still able to step up to the challenge of overcoming anything that would prevent me from accomplishing my life’s mission of reaching my highest potential in life and bringing me closer to God.”
Details were limited, so it’s not clear whether the “match” between man and deadly sea predator will be digitized like the network did in 2017 when Olympic gold medalist swimmer Michael Phelps “raced” against a Great White during Shark Week.
Tyson also posted the video on his Instagram feed as an announcement to his fans.