Former boxing heavyweight champion of the world Mike Tyson has given opponents and media an “earful” in the past, often getting himself into trouble with the law and causing outrageous headlines. Then, in 1997, Tyson got his own earful when he performed one of the most gruesome acts seen in the world of professional sports: biting off part of opponent Evander Holyfield’s ear in the third round of their bout.
Mike Bites
Now the champ is taking a chomp at the cannabis industry by releasing his new line of edibles called Mike Bites from his cannabis company Tyson 2.0. The cannabis-infused gummies are ear-shaped but are missing the top corner, in a clear nod to Holifield’s wound after the infamous fight.
If you thought Tyson’s marketing team had re-ignited the age-old feud between the two heavyweights, don’t worry, the two patched things up years ago. Tyson has even joked about the incident on several occasions and brought up the idea of marketing a product based on it, according to RepublicWorld. The idea was first relayed to Holyfield when he appeared on Tyson’s podcast Hotboxin’ with Mike Tyson.
“You might be in business because we’re going to make some holy ears. Some edibles [of the ear] that got a bite taken out of ’em,” Tyson said.
Holyfield responded by stating, “Well, I could do that.”
Reclaiming the Title
Tyson founded his first cannabis company in 2018, operating out of his 40-acre cannabis ranch in California. The ranch failed in 2021, but Tyson aims to build on his past experience in the industry with a successful new line of products. Along with the “holy ears” edibles, Mike Bites will include several strains of flower, pre-rolls, other edibles, and beverages.
Passion for the Product
Tyson’s ventures into the cannabis business world stemmed from the life-changing benefits he experienced from cannabis and psychedelics.
“I’ve never felt as healthy in my life, I’ve never felt as clear in my life,” Tyson said during an interview in 2021, Forbes reported. “I tried 5-MeO-DMT, the God molecule, and my whole life changed. I lost 100 pounds. I started fighting people again, at 55. Everything started to change from a business perspective, from a health perspective, and from an ideology perspective as far as the clearness of my thinking. I didn’t know I could feel this good at 55.”
