Kurt Angle on training with Mike Tyson
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has been discussing his experience of training with former heavyweight boxing star "Iron" Mike Tyson. Tyson has undergone a physical transformation ahead of his exhibition fight against Roy Jones Jr.
During a recent interview on The Wrestling Inc. daily podcast, Kurt Angle revealed how his training session with Mike Tyson came to fruition:
"We were shooting a commercial and some ads for Smart Cups. Mike Tyson is also an ambassador, I'm not sure if he owns it too. He might be part owner. I don't know. All I know is they wanted all the athletes to come to Mike Tyson's ranch in California and shoot a commercial and do some ads, and Mike was one of them. I was one of them. Henry Cejudo [and] Cody Jubrant, but he had coronavirus so he couldn't come. Also Vitor Belfort and Chavo Guerrero so we all got together and we did the ads and the commercial and got to train with Mike and watch them train, and it was a lot of fun.
"I bet Mike one other time., we did an autograph signing together, and he's a very humble and generous guy. If you don't know Mike, don't put a label on him because the guys are sweetheart, and he's the kindest guy I've ever met. I'm not BS-ing you. He's very genuine, and he's very smart, very canny. And I learned a lot from him watching him train. He's a very smart guy, very smart."
Mike Tyson in the best shape of his life?
Continuing to discuss his experience of training with Mike Tyson, Kurt Angle stated that the former Heavyweight Boxing Champion is currently in the best shape of his life at 54 years of age:
"He's in better shape now than he's ever been," Angle stated. "What he did is he surrounded himself with doctors, trainers and advisors. I actually joked with him. I walked in, he's like, 'Kurt you look like you're stiff in your neck and your back.' I said, 'I am. My neck's always killing me.' He goes, 'here, I'm going to have you do my therapy session.' He actually gave me his therapy session. It's an hour long. He had me go through it, and I mean I felt like I was 20 years old again when I was done.
"It's stretching and massaging and altogether all one, and Mike does this every day before he trains and he looks great. His body looks like it was when he was 20, and he's punching hard. He's quick, very technical. I think he's going to do really well, and hey, Roy Jones Jr., he's been fighting actively anyway, so the guys a stud too so it's going to be a great fight, but Mike is ready for this."
Kurt Angle was also quick to point out Mike Tyson's positive mental space currently. Angle explained that Tyson would previously focus only on activities outside of the ring as opposed to the boxing fights:
"This isn't 43-year-old Mike Tyson that wasn't training, and this is what he told me, He said when he was fighting in his 40s, he wasn't looking forward to the fight. He couldn't wait until it was over so he could get drunk and hang out with the girls. That was his mentality. He didn't want to fight. He was doing it for the money, and he wanted to get it done and go to the parties, and he's not like that now.
"He's back to the old Mike Tyson, and I asked him, 'why didn't you do all this therapy back then?' He said, 'I don't know. I'm an idiot. I didn't take care of my body.' So long story short, he's ready now. He's really ready."
Are you excited to see Mike Tyson compete inside a boxing ring once again?