Boxing legend Mike Tyson reveals his battle with severe obesity, confessing he felt so ‘fat and nasty’ that he contemplated suicide, as he joins a national push to combat America’s obesity epidemic.
Starring in Real Food Campaign
The 59-year-old former heavyweight champion appears in a striking black-and-white 30-second advertisement promoting Real Food, part of new U.S. health guidelines introduced by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. under the current administration. Tyson, known for his 44 knockout victories, shares raw details of his weight struggles and the tragic loss of his sister Denise to obesity-related heart attack at age 25.
‘My sister’s name was Denise. She died of obesity at the age of 25. She had a heart attack,’ Tyson states directly to the camera. He continues, ‘I was so fat and nasty, I would eat anything. I was like 345lbs. A quarter of ice cream every hour. I had so much self-hate that I just wanted to kill myself.’
The most important fight of my life isn’t in the ring. I’m not fighting for a belt. I’m fighting for our health. Processed foods are killing us. We have been lied to and we need to eat real food again.
The ad features Tyson crunching on fresh carrots and apples, highlighting healthier choices. ‘We’re the most powerful country in the world and we have the most obese, fudgy people,’ he declares. ‘Something has to be done about processed food in this country,’ he urges, as the slogan ‘Processed Food Kills’ appears on screen.
From Peak to Obesity and Back
After retiring from boxing, Tyson gained significant weight, reaching 27 stone (around 378 pounds) by 2009 and becoming clinically obese amid battles with drug abuse. He was roughly 170 pounds heavier than during his fighting prime and suffered from high blood pressure, arthritis, and breathing issues due to cocaine use.
In 2010, Tyson adopted a vegan diet, eliminating meat and crediting it with resolving his health problems. ‘I was so congested from all the drugs and bad cocaine, I could hardly breathe,’ he has said. ‘Turning vegan helped me eliminate all those problems in my life.’ Over the following years, consistent exercise and dietary changes helped him shed the excess weight.
Denise Tyson’s death occurred in 1990 in Queens, New York, where her husband found her unconscious. Reports at the time indicated she weighed between 300 and 400 pounds.
New Dietary Guidelines Target Processed Foods
Tyson’s campaign aligns with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s dietary guidelines unveiled last month, which declare war on sugar while promoting saturated fats previously criticized. The initiative aims to curb processed foods amid rising obesity rates. Tyson, who faced Jake Paul in November 2024, now channels his fighting spirit into advocating for public health.
