Mike Tyson said he thought that Hasbulla was a baby when he picked him up and acted like he was biting his ear.
The famous boxer has got a bout with Jake Paul coming up soon enough, but last year he faced what might have been his most formidable opponent on the Hotboxin podcast.
It was a rather strange moment, but certainly not the worst thing that Tyson has ever done to someone’s ear.
Despite the bizarre encounter, Hasbulla said afterwards that he wanted to ‘do it again soon’ and the next time they met would be ‘even bigger’, so it would seem like there was no harm done.
At first they were playfighting, and Mike Tyson admitted he didn’t know how old Hasbulla was at the time. (YouTube / HotboxinwithMikeTyson)
Tyson later said that he mistook Hasbulla, who was 20 at the time he had his ear nibbled by the boxer, for a baby.
Hasbulla has a form of dwarfism caused by a growth hormone deficiency, so he’s 102 centimetres tall.
Of his condition he said: “I can’t say that I’m handicapped. I can speak, I understand. I have arms and legs just like others.”
While he seems to have enjoyed getting to meet Mike Tyson, the boxer recently appeared on The Art of Ward podcast and explained what he was thinking when he picked the guy up and started nibbling on his ear.
He said: “Yeah. I thought it was a baby. No, no. I did not know.
“That’s how I am with children, I’m hugging on this guy, and he’s like 26 years old. I knew nothing at all!”
Tyson picked up Hasbulla and pretended to eat his ear. (YouTube / HotboxinwithMikeTyson)
Elsewhere on the podcast, he was asked about his upcoming bout in the boxing ring, which has been delayed from earlier this year after Tyson suffered a medical emergency on board a flight from Miami to Los Angeles.
Although the fight is a 58-year-old vs a 27-year-old, Tyson insisted he didn’t feel like his age when he was training, telling podcast host Andre Ward: “I don’t think I’m 58.
“Do you think I feel 58 when I’m fighting these young n*****s in the gym, and they’re bashing me them big strong motherf**kers, and I’m bashing them back. He’s supposed to be the young guy, I’m supposed to be the old man.
“He’s a younger man, he should be able to handle punches from an old withering man like me. Listen, you can’t compare me with other people my age because other people my age haven’t been training as long, consistently as me.”
Tyson said he was a ‘different species of human being’ and promised that his fight would be a ‘wonderful evening’.
The British athlete revealed today that he was hit with a gut-wrenching personal event on the eve of the biggest fight of his career.
He spoke about the event, which was only confirmed when he got home to Morecambe.
At the time, Paris, Fury’s wife, was six months pregnant with their eighth child, a boy, but sadly suffered a miscarriage the day before he lost his WBC world heavyweight title to Ukrainian heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia.
He revealed that the tragedy happened on the eve of his big fight (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
Touching on the subject for the first time, an emotional Fury revealed that he was not told the news before heading into the ring in his bid to become the division’s first undisputed champion in almost a quarter of a century.
When he was asked about if he was planning on having any more children, the 6ft 9in boxer answered: “Never say never. I only have seven.
“The one that she was having, she lost that on the Friday of the fight, which was pretty s****y.
“She was six months pregnant. It’s not like a small miscarriage at the beginning – you have to physically give birth to a dead child, on your own, while your husband is in a foreign country. To go through that on your own isn’t good.
“I could not be there for her in that moment. And that’s tough for me. I have been with the woman for longer than I wasn’t with her, so it’s hard that I couldn’t be there with her in that time,” he admitted.
Fury went on: “When she said she couldn’t come over, I knew there was a problem.
“She usually comes out on fight week but she said she had high blood pressure.”
Paris and Tyson have seven children together (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
He further explained: “I knew she wasn’t coming over on the Friday and (Saudi boxing chief) Turki Alalshikh offered us a private jet to get around the high blood pressure and said he would bring the doctor with her.
“She said she couldn’t come and I asked her what was up and asked her to tell me but she wouldn’t. So I knew, I knew there was a problem. I said to my brother, ‘She’s lost that baby’. She never told me she had lost the baby, but I knew.
“When I got back I got the inevitable confirmation that it was gone but she kept it to herself.”
He added: “But it’s not an excuse – hell no. I am a man of honour and I do what I have to do when I am in there. I don’t think about that sort of stuff when I am in the fight. Nothing outside the ring matters, there is no emotion; you think about all that stuff afterwards. Will we have any more kids? I don’t know if she’s back to normal from that. It was only a few months ago and it takes a lot of getting over.”
Fury is set to fight Usyk in a rematch that will take place on 21 December in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in an attempt to recapture his title.
Even now, you couldn’t pay me enough money to step into the ring with Mike Tyson.
Widely considered to be one of the best fighters in the world, he built up a terrifying image with power punches that would drop some of the best boxers in his hay day.
Getty/Bettmann
Tyson is more than aware of this image and during an interview in 2020, the former heavyweight explained his attitude ahead of fighting.
And bizarrely enough, he revealed the much softer side to himself that not many were used to seeing.
The man who built an image of demolishing opponents with heavy blows to the body and face admitted he would be shedding tears ahead of it.
Sort of hard to believe, but the words came from Tyson himself.
While speaking to actor William Shatner on his Hotboxin’ With Mike Tyson podcast, Tyson explained why.
“I always cry before I fight. I don’t know why, it is just who I am,” Tyson said. “I’m getting ready to change into somebody that I don’t like.”
Surprising Shatner, the former Star Trek actor insisted it was quite an illuminating statement from Iron Mike.
YouTube/Mike Tyson
Explaining why he didn’t like the fighter within himself, Tyson said this other side of him came with more than just fighting.
“He brought jealousy, envy, guilt, a lot of stuff, all the bad qualities,” Tyson continued.
He added that his critics would often define him completely by the persona he held in the ring and the person Shatner is speaking to now is not that same person.
The former champ did explain that that side of him was taught to ‘cut off’ due to the ego, and even now still occasionally comes out.
Those on social media seemed equally fascinated by Tyson’s answer with some likening him to a certain superhero who also had a more violent side to him.
“Mike is like Bruce Banner but when he boxes he’s becomes the Hulk… Hulk didn’t like Bruce because Bruce knew Hulk was dangerous,” one YouTuber commented.
“Mike Tyson is one of the most interesting conversationalists in history. This is profound,” added another.
“Mikes in a healthy state of mine, if you can sit there and identify a toxic trait of yourself that you don’t like, you’re learning and growing. Always respected this man,” commented another.
“This might actually be the most fascinating clip from a former professional athlete I’ve ever seen,” a fourth wrote.
Well, all I can say is I hope to never be on the receiving end of Mike Tyson’s other side when he gets loose and comes out.
Jake Paul has been confirmed to face-off against boxing legend Mike Tyson, aka Iron Mike, on Netflix.
The streaming platform announced earlier today (7 March) that the bout would take place this summer on social media.
The news comes following Paul’s decisive knockout win against pro boxer Ryan Bourland in round one of their bout on 2 March.
The official Netflix UK & Ireland X (formerly Twitter) account announced: “It’s Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson — yes, really! — in a LIVE BOXING event at AT&T Stadium you won’t want to miss.
“Airing live on Netflix Saturday, 20 July.”
Known as ‘The Problem Child’ or ‘El Gallo’, Paul has fully pursued his boxing career in the past few years, boasting an impressive record of 9-1.
He will compete in a heavyweight boxing match at the 80,000 capacity AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas against ‘the Baddest Man on the Planet, Mike Tyson, who has built up a record of 50-6 with a staggering 44 KOs over his seasoned boxing career.
In the official press release for the event, Paul stated: “It’s crazy to think that in my second pro fight, I went viral for knocking out Nate Robinson on Mike Tyson’s undercard.
“Now, less than four years later, I’m stepping up to face Tyson myself to see if I have what it takes to beat one of boxing’s most notorious fighters and biggest icons.”
Al Bello/Getty Images
Paul also said that it will be the ‘biggest fight in history’ in the biggest NFL stadium on the biggest streaming platform in the world.
He finished the statement saying: “My sights are set on becoming a world champion, and now I have a chance to prove myself against the greatest heavyweight champion ever, the baddest man on the planet and the most dangerous boxer of all time.
“This will be the fight of a lifetime.”
Legendary former undisputed world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson is undoubtedly one of the biggest athletes of all time, and is ranked as ESPN’s single hardest hitter in heavyweight history.
Tyson broke onto the scene as the youngest heavyweight champion at 20 years old, with the most successful run of his career consisting of 37 straight wins, including 33 KOs.
The 57-year-old stated: “I’m very much looking forward to stepping into the ring with Jake Paul.
“He’s grown significantly as a boxer over the years, so it will be a lot of fun to see what the will and ambition of a ‘kid’ can do with the experience and aptitude of a GOAT.”
Labelling it a ‘full circle moment’, he recalls how they fought on the same card in 2020 and finished by saying: “Now I plan to finish him.”
Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Triller
To add even more fuel to the fire, Paul posted an announcement on his own X account, saying that the event doesn’t need promotion.
Claiming that everyone will want to see the fight, he finished the post off by outlining: “My sights are set on becoming a world champion, and now I have a chance to prove myself against the greatest heavyweight champion of the world, the baddest man on the planet and the most dangerous boxer of all time.
“Time to put Iron Mike to sleep.”
This live Netflix sporting event follows The Netflix Slam, a tennis match between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, and golfing event The Netflix Cup.
They are also set to become the weekly home of WWE’s legendary Monday Night Raw in 2025 as they continue to venture into live sports coverage.
Mike Tyson v Jake Paul will be available to stream by all Netflix subscribers on 20 July.
Mike Tyson suffered a medical emergency on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles on Sunday 27 May.
This incident comes just two months before ‘Iron Mike’ is slated to step into the ring with social media influencer-turned-boxer, Jake Paul.
Tyson was onboard the flight when he began to feel nauseous and dizzy, his representatives told the New York Post.
A source told InTouch Weekly that flight staff asked other passengers if there was a doctor on board to help him.
The flight was already delayed by two hours before take-off due to an air conditioning issue.
Upon touchdown in Los Angeles, paramedics boarded the plane to help the 57-year-old.
His representatives have since revealed to The New York Post: “He became nauseous and dizzy due to an ulcer flare up 30 minutes before landing.
“He is appreciative to the medical staff that were there to help him.”
Symptoms of an ulcer flare up can include nausea, vomiting, bloating, belching, gas pain, or even chest pain and fatigue.
News of the incident broke on Monday morning from In Touch, who stated that Tyson had an unspecified medical emergency on his flight, with sources stating that cabin crew issuing an announcement to ask for a doctor just 30 minutes before landing, even prompting a message to pop up on TV screens.
An eyewitness revealed that they were asked to stay on the plane so paramedics could get on, revealing: “[The stewardess] said something like, ‘He’s a really important passenger so we wanna make sure he’s okay.’
“I knew it was him, but I just mouthed the words ‘Mike Tyson’ and she nodded her head yes.”
The boxer’s health may put him in doubt of making the original fight date. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images for Netflix)
The plane was delayed for about 25 minutes while Tyson was being treated.
An avid marijuana user, the boxer revealed that he has given it up in the build up to his bout with Paul, as it is on the list of banned substances stated by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
His publicist Joann Mignano told USA TODAY Sports that this doesn’t change his regular use of the product in his spare time: “He only stopped as a means of following all of the rules.
“But he is still a strong advocate for the medicinal benefits of cannabis for his personal well-being and others like him.”
On top of this, the former heavyweight champion has also given up sex in the months leading up to the fight.
Tyson will be 58 when the fight rolls around on 20 July, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas – the home of NFL football team the Dallas Cowboys.
The fight is set to be streamed on Netflix on 20 July. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images for Netflix)
The bout, which is set to be streamed on Netflix, has faced criticism in the past few weeks, with people concerned about the age gap between the opponents, with Paul 27 years old, 31 years Tyson’s junior.
Fans have been sceptical about Tyson’s training clips, commenting on how short they are as they are convinced that he doesn’t have the stamina to maintain the energy in the clips for longer periods of time.
There was also the awkward moment where the fighters were asked about their body counts by a child at the press conference.
Despite being a professional bout, there will be eight two-minute rounds instead of 10 or 12 rounds lasting three minutes each, and heavier 14 ounce gloves instead of the standard 10, meant to reduce the number and pain of punches.
Tyson’s publicist told LADbible: “He became nauseous and dizzy due to an ulcer flare up 30 minutes before landing. He is appreciative to the medical staff that were there to help him.”
