Getty Mike Tyson inducts Evander Holyfield (not pictured) into the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame at the second annual induction gala at the New Tropicana Las Vegas on August 9, 2014, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Three-time UFC title challenger turned MMA analyst Chael Sonnen had choice words for boxing legend Mike Tyson after hearing that “Iron Mike” smoked marijuana before his bout with Roy Jones Jr. on November 28.
Tyson, 54, who hadn’t competed in boxing for well over a decade, fought Jones in an eight-round exhibition bout on pay-per-view. The boxing match went all eight rounds and the WBC declared the fight a draw. During the post-fight press conference, Tyson revealed that he smoked marijuana before boxing Jones.
“Absolutely, yes,” he said via USA Today.
“Listen, I can’t stop smoking,” he continued. “I smoked during fights. I just have to smoke, I’m sorry. I’m a smoker. … I smoke every day. I never stopped smoking.”
Sonnen was complimentary of Tyson’s performance; however, he took issue with Iron Mike smoking marijuana before the fight.
In a recent video on Sonnen’s YouTube channel, “The American Gangster” gave his take.
“[Tyson] came out after the fact to let the world know he was high prior to the fight,” The American Gangster said. “I don’t know what that is. That’s disappointing to me. I understand he is no longer a kid and kids are no longer looking up to him, if they ever were. But that still disappoints me.
“If you’re a drug addict, I just feel that you should do it the way kids that were drug addicts when I was growing up, keep it to yourself,” Sonnen continued. “Be ashamed of it and do it behind the bar privately.”
The American Gangster then pointed to using CBD instead of smoking marijuana to get medicinal benefits without the psychoactive component. Sonnen also called Tyson a “drug addict”:
We can go around and around on this pot thing guys, I don’t know where you guys stand but I will tell you this and I’ll make this statement to you. You can tell me all the good that it does for your ankle or your clarity or your anxiety. If I tell you, ‘Great, I have something that will do all those things but it doesn’t make you high (CBD),’ you stop arguing. He’s a drug addict and he went into the ring high. And he disclosed that to the audience after the fact and it was disappointing. And it was bizarre. And as a man of courage, who showed tremendous courage, show the courage to simply say, ‘I like to get high.’ Be a man about it.
Sonnen, 43, retired from MMA last year after losing to Lyoto Machida by second-round TKO during Bellator 222. The American Gangster has a professional record of 31-17-1 with eight wins by KO/TKO and four by submission.
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Sonnen Doesn’t Think That a ‘Legend’s League’ Is a Smart Investment
Tyson and Eros Innovations are building the “Legends Only League,” a league that will feature older athletes from a multitude of different sports who have retired, and the Tyson vs. Jones exhibition fight was used as a kickoff for it.
Sonnen doesn’t believe a “Legend’s League” is a good idea to invest in.
The American Gangster, who focused on the boxing side of the potential Legend’s League, predicted that promoters who invest in it would likely “be broke” in 12 to 18 months.
During his show, Sonnen said:
[Promoters] are going to learn one of two things from this weekend. One, they’re going think that a Legend’s League is real and that this is a good idea. Many of you may be with them in thinking that a Legend’s League is real and very good idea. Great, to get a promoter’s license guys, fill out two forms, sign the bottom of the second one and put down $100. If a Legend’s League is a good idea, by all means, go down and get a license and start doing it. It’s not a good idea and you won’t go and do that. But somebody will, and that somebody is a fool.
GettyChael Sonnen attends the UFC 170 event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on February 22, 2014.
Sonnen Doesn’t Think That a Legend’s League for Boxing Would Work Without Tyson
Sonnen enjoyed Tyson vs. Jones and gave them props for competing again. However, he’s skeptical that a Legend’s League would work on the boxing front without Tyson. Sonnen, who considers Jones a friend, said the audience would have tuned in regardless of whether Jones competed; fans tuned in to see Tyson.
If Tyson hadn’t been on the card, Sonnen said the pay-per-view wouldn’t have done nearly as well.
“If I was to just ask you real simply, ‘Okay great, we’re going to do a Legend’s League.’ We all agree that we love the legends, the legends worked,” Sonnen continued. “Okay, tell me 10 legends. ‘Oh sure, I can come up with 10 legends, here they are.’ Okay great. Is there any one of those legends that you want to see fight another legend if one of the legends is not named Mike Tyson?”
According to boxing insider Dan Rafael, Tyson vs. Jones did over a million PPV buys in the United States, an impressive feat.
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UFC Legend Slams Mike Tyson: ‘He’s a Drug Addict’