How have cannabis laws in the US affected Deontay Wilder and Mike Tyson?
Mike Tyson and Deontay Wilder's experiences with cannabis laws in America have been very different.
Both former Heavyweight Champions are noted fans of marijuana, and have made no secret of letting it be known. Despite Tyson and Wilder having that same interest between them, they've had radically different experiences regarding the law.
Cannabis is still a topic of conversation in the United States. While some believe that it's a gateway drug, others believe that it can be used for medicinal purposes. Sadly for 'The Bronze Bomber', his home state of Alabama falls in the camp of the former.
Marijuana was still heavily outlawed in the state until this past year, where it's now being used for medicinal purposes. Sadly for Wilder, in 2018, he was arrested for possession of the substance. As a first-time offender, he was given a suspended jail sentence and 60 hours of community service.
That same year, Tyson had a radically different situation with cannabis. Instead of being arrested, he opened a 40-acre farm in California to sell marijuana. The drug itself is completely legal statewide, and 'Iron Mike' was able to make a hefty profit from that.
Luckily for Wilder, his home state has begun to stop taking cannabis as seriously. However, it's still a stark contrast to how Tyson's home state of California treats it. The same year that Wilder was in a jail cell, the 55-year-old was making a profit.
Are Mike Tyson and Deontay Wilder on good terms?
Despite having a similar interest and love for cannabis, Mike Tyson and Deontay Wilder are on very poor terms.
Over the last few years, the two men have traded insults and barbs on social media. The crux of the rivalry between the two mostly derives from Wilder stating that Tyson didn't defeat many great fighters during his Hall of Fame career.
The year before his arrest for cannabis, Wilder gave a brutal assessment of Tyson on his Instagram. Discussing the former Heavyweight Champion's career, he said:
"How many Hall of Fame fighters did Mike Tyson actually fight? Don’t bring up no Michael Spinks who came from light-heavyweight to heavyweight, that was terrified out of his m********** boots. Don’t bring up Larry Holmes because we already know Larry was way past his prime, so how many of them? I'm going to take y’all m********** to school because you all don’t know nothing about what you’re talking about.”"
Watch Deontay Wilder discuss Mike Tyson below:
🤬 Deontay Wilder gave an assessment of Mike Tyson's résumé back when he was WBC champion in 2017…
[📽️ @BronzeBomber] https://t.co/EtsOknqmfC