Mike Tyson Jamie Foxx

Mike Tyson says that training for a charity match has been different from his professional fight preparation mostly because of a drastically altered motivation for boxing. Photo: Twitter

Mike Tyson to donate entire comeback fight purse to charity

Tyson says that training for a charity match has been different from his professional fight preparation mostly because of a drastically altered motivation for boxing.

Mike Tyson Jamie Foxx

Mike Tyson says that training for a charity match has been different from his professional fight preparation mostly because of a drastically altered motivation for boxing. Photo: Twitter

Heavyweight boxing legend Mike Tyson has promised to donate his entire purse from the scheduled exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr to charity.

Tyson (54) will fight Jones (51) on 12 September in an eight-round exhibition matchup. It has been 15 years since Tyson’s final professional bout and this bout is not without its critics.

Whatever you think of two men in their 50s getting into a boxing ring in a fight sanctioned by a professional sports commission, you can’t accuse Tyson of greed.

Tyson says that training for a charity match has been different from his professional fight preparation mostly because of a drastically altered motivation for boxing.

“Now I’m doing it with a lot more enthusiasm because I’m doing it for someone else. It’s going to be for various charities,” Tyson told TMZ Sports.

“Nobody has to ever worry about me getting rich, or getting jealous, or saying I’m doing this for money.

“I’m not getting anything. I just feel good doing this because I can.” 

Money couldn’t buy Tyson happiness

Tyson infamously tore through the fortune he earned in the ring blowing more than $400 million and racking up more than $20 million of debt.

The fighter has since righted that debt but says he is happy to be rid of his fortune and the ‘vultures’ it attracted.

“I’m happy I don’t have money anymore, I don’t have any money,” Tyson said.

“‘Cause no one can take anything from me anymore. There are no vultures. Nobody out there trying to take anything from me. So I’m just happy.”

Tyson pulled himself out of a downward spiral in physical condition and got back into the gym, before his brother-in-law introduced the idea of returning to the ring.

The former heavyweight champion says he is in great shape and feels good as he prepares for the fight in September.

“I’m just very grateful that I’m not living the life that I was living before. Allah has blessed for me to be able to do this,” said Tyson.

“I’m in great shape, but I’m going to get in better condition.

“I just did my four miles today, and I’m going to do my sprints later, and then I’m going to the boxing gym.”

Tyson credits his faith will hel[ping him recover his health and get back in shape.

“At one time, I was just 90 pounds overweight. I was doing cocaine, I was drinking, and I said, Allah if he can stop me from being this way, I’ll change my whole life.

“And eventually, I got married, my life started to change, and I started working out.

“My brother-in-law said, ‘hey listen. I know you don’t want to fight, but would you fight Bob Sapp?

“Somebody wants to offer you a lot of money to fight him. I said, ‘get out of here, I told you I don’t want to fight anymore.

“And then I thought about it in my mind and went ‘ding’ – I said I would fight [Sapp under Queensberry Rules] and for some reason, it went from Bob Sapp to somebody else, and this guy, and the next thing you know, I’m fighting Roy Jones Jr on 12 September. I don’t know how this happened.”