Brave Mike gets in the rubber ring
Fear is not an emotion you imagine Mike Tyson feeling. His boxing career included a record 15 wins – all by knockout – and no losses, and ended when he was disqualified for chomping on an opponents ear.
But Iron Mike has a weakness – water. He said: “I’m scared of anything in the water. I won’t even put my foot in it.”
In this madcap one-off special, the ex heavyweight will confront his deep fear, coming into contact with some of the ocean’s most fearsome predators.We asked Mike, 54, about making the show... How did training to be in the water with sharks compare to going in the ring for a big fight? You can’t prepare to meet sharks. I trained with a mechanical shark and it wasn’t the same in the water. It’s like fighting. Training and fighting are different. What made you want to do it? I’ve a boxing match on September 12 [against Roy Jones Jr]. I’ve not done this in such a long time and I had a little fear. So I thought if I go through this situation, it would probably help. It did help but it was still overwhelmingly frightening. You’ve talked a lot about fear and how it’s driven you... That’s basically my life, I’m a product of fear. For anyone born in an environment like mine – inner city, drug infected, violence infected – you become a product of fear and go through your whole life trying to overcome that feeling. Nature’s given us that to protect ourselves. How did swimming with sharks prepare you for your upcoming exhibition fight? It allowed me to realise that most of the things that go on in my head are just illusions that I allow to turn into reality. When I talk about fear, I’m more concerned that I may not be able to perform at my highest level and that’s what I worry about. It’s not fear of getting beaten. It’s the fear of allowing fear to entrench me so much that I can’t perform.