Mike Tyson vs Trevor Berbick - November 22, 1986 - Photo by Jeff Robbins/Associated Press
Mike Tyson says he took fentanyl for pain – talks withdrawal symptoms
Former heavyweight boxing champ Mike Tyson revealed on “The Katie Miller Podcast” that he took fentanyl “quite a few times” during the late ’90s while competing.
“It was a painkiller, and I used to use it to patch up my toe,” Tyson said.
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Just 2 milligrams of fentanyl, equal to 10 to15 grains of table salt, is considered a lethal dose.
“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,” Tyson said.
“It was illegal if it [was] caught in my bloodstream. It was a narcotic, my friend told me. It was brand new. I told my friend ‘could I use this?’ No one ever heard of it,” Tyson said.
Nicknamed “Iron Mike” and “Kid Dynamite” in his early career and later known as “the Baddest Man on the Planet”, Tyson is regarded as one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. He reigned as the undisputed world heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990.
Tyson, 59, has allegedly agreed to an exhibition bout against undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr., scheduled for sometime in 2026.
