Mike Tyson has long been open about the physical and emotional toll of his legendary boxing career, and in a recent podcast appearance, he revealed that at one point he turned to fentanyl as a way to cope with pain.
Speaking on the Katie Miller Podcast, the former heavyweight champion explained that while he now advocates for cannabis as a safer alternative to alcohol and other substances, his path included periods of using far more dangerous drugs.
“I’ve done fentanyl before,” Tyson said. “In the late ’90s, when it first came here, it was a painkiller, and I used to use it to patch up my toe. It was like heroin. Once it wears off and you take the Band-Aid off, you start withdrawing, throwing up, just like if you were on heroin or something.”
Tyson added that he used the opioid “quite a few times” without fully understanding the risks, and admitted he would have continued had it not been banned in boxing. He emphasized that his perspective today is different, pointing out that he considers cannabis a safer alternative than alcohol, cocaine, or fentanyl.
His admission underscores the dangers of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that has fueled a national crisis in recent years. According to the CDC, fentanyl was linked to 76,282 deaths in the U.S. in 2023, followed by an additional 48,422 in 2024.
Now 59, Tyson has turned his focus to advocacy and business ventures centered on cannabis. At the same time, he remains active in the sport that made him a global name. Just last week, TMZ Sports reported that Tyson is preparing for an exhibition fight against Floyd Mayweather, expected to take place in 2026.