Hotboxin' With Mike Tyson has delivered some compelling and insightful conversations with everyone from athletes to movie stars. However, the heavyweight boxing champion announced that his podcasting career is coming to an end in anticipation of his upcoming fight with Jake Paul. Hotboxin’ covered a wide range of topics during its run, from sports, entertainment, culture, and of course, cannabis. Tyson's diverse array of guests included athletes, entertainers, entrepreneurs, and other notable figures. Altogether, it was known for its raw and unfiltered discussions, providing listeners with unique perspectives from both Tyson and his guests. Hotboxin' With Mike Tyson produced over 275 episodes since its launch in January 2019, and the podcast released its final episode in March 2024. Below is a list of some of the podcast’s great moments.
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5. Tyson's Unwavering Faith In Francis Ngannou
In November 2019, the Cameroonian MMA titan, Francis Ngannou, was a guest on Mike Tyson's podcast. The conversation between the two mostly dwelled on Ngannou's exploits in the MMA. However, sometime during the podcast, Ngannou told Tyson about his wish to have a go at none other than WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. This was also after over 90 minutes of Mike Tyson being in awe of Ngannou's track record in the UFC. "Everybody's going to know your name…You're the future. You're special,” Tyson said.
As fate would have it, Ngannou was scheduled to fight Tyson Fury on October 28th, 2023. In what was billed as the battle of the baddest, the event became a huge spectacle. Ngannou requested that Mike Tyson coach him, to which he agreed. Ngannou lost the match to Fury, but both he and Mike Tyson’s partnership was definitely the highlight leading up to the match.
4. Hugging Hasbulla
An episode of Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson went viral after a clip from the podcast was published in March 2023. Tyson featured the popular Russian internet personality and fighter, Hasbulla on the show. Sometime during the episode, Hasbulla walked up to Mike Tyson and began to swing at Tyson's face, while the latter “practiced” his swerves. Since they were in such close contact, Hasbullah managed to land a few blows. However, Tyson suddenly picked up the three-foot-tall man and hugged him to his chest like he was a child.
He also playfully pretended to bite his ear, in what many think was a reference to his infamous 1997 fight against Evander Holyfield. During a future episode with Prince Jackson, Tyson's co-host, DJ Whoo Kid, brought up the Hasbulla incident. He narrated: “He [Mike] thought he [Hasbulla] was a baby.” DJ Whoo Kid added that he warned Mike about Hasbulla’s age by saying, “The guy is like 20, Mike. What are you doing?” The co-host then commented that the incident only occurred because Mike Tyson was high at the time, to which Tyson retorted: “Hey listen, I didn’t f**king know, okay? When you kiss all those girls in the show and don’t know they are men. It’s like that!”
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3. Jorge Masvidal Equates Mike Tyson’s Punch To Death
In an episode of Hotboxin’ With Mike Tyson, Jorge Masvidal asked Mike if he could still fight. Tyson then responded, “Hell, I can always fight. I don't know how well I'mma do, but I’m always gonna [know how to] fight.” Tyson's co-host then asked Masvidal if he was interested in receiving a punch from the legendary champion. In a hilarious turn, Masvidal responded, “I don’t know how long I’ll be in the hospital. It’s like getting killed in a Ferrari.”
Later during the podcast, Mike said he would be open to getting in the ring if someone offered him enough money. It was later alleged that the founder of Bare Knuckle Boxing approached Mike with an offer. However, it did not work out. Nonetheless, Mike Tyson is set to go against celebrity fighter Jake Paul in June 2024.
2. Mike Tyson Robbed U-God’s Mom
During his high school years, Tyson, a former dropout, confessed to resorting to theft, even from his teachers, to make ends meet. Allegedly, he stole earrings from the mother of U-God, a member of the Wu-Tang Clan. U-God had said as much in another interview. "This was back in the 1970s before he was the world champion or had even started boxing. I was about eight years old, holding my mother's hand, walking down Pitkin Avenue by the OTB, when this dude came by and snatched my mother's earrings right off," the Wu-Tang Clan MC said.
Mike Tyson did not deny U-God's claims, however, and even brought it up during an episode. The incident came up when DJ Whoo Kid asked about Tyson's relationship with the Wu-Tang Clan rappers. Tyson said he was close with Raekwon, but that U-God hated him. He then said he told U-God's mom he would reimburse her for the earrings.
1. Mike Tyson, Rosie Perez, And The Dancing Gunman
In a June 2022 episode of the Hotboxin With Mike Tyson podcast, Rosie Perez shared some interesting stories about Tyson. The actress, who seemed quite close to Tyson, spoke about the public’s reaction to the champion in the aftermath of the 1997 Mike Tyson vs Evander Holyfield fight. The fight, as aforementioned, became infamous for the ear-chomping incident, for which Tyson was disqualified.
"You walked into Cheetah's and everybody was so in awe and terrified of you at the same time,” Perez shared. “It was like Moses parting the red sea, everybody just moved the f*ck out of your way.” Perez also recalled the story of her calling on Tyson after a man pulled a gun on her sister Sally Perez in a nightclub for refusing to dance with him. She explained how Tyson, unarmed, walked up to the gunman, and calmly nudged the gun out of his hand. Unsurprising, coming from one of the deadliest fighters of all time.
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