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Mike Tyson has been one of the most controversial and popular figures in sports and pop culture for nearly three decades. His undeniable skill as a boxer and his unique personality make him one of the most interesting people to listen to. From buying a $7 million chain to purchasing Siberian tigers as pets, his stories are rarely boring.

Aside from his unmatched skills in the ring, Tyson became extremely popular in his prime due to his wild spending habits and untamed lifestyle. Media outlets frequently reported on his outlandish expenses and Tyson still tells stories about his reckless spending to this day, especially on his podcast, Hotboxin’. 

In a recent episode, he told a crazy story about how he had sailed the world with his friends for so long that when he finally made it back to land, he had forgotten how to walk on solid ground.

Mike Tyson earned hundreds of millions during his boxing career

Mike Tyson was one of the most dominant boxers of all time and his generational talent paid huge dividends. He was known for knocking his competitors out in the first round of matches, and would even receive significant bonuses for ending matches quickly. 

In his prime, Tyson earned over $20 million per fight. With career earnings of more than $400 million according to Forbes, Tyson had more money than he knew what to do with. Among his array of outlandish purchases were two Bengal tigers, dozens of foreign cars, a 52-bedroom home, countless pieces of jewelry, and even a $2.3 million gold bathtub. 

Tyson was apparently earning so much money that he had enough to give away. On an episode of the Hotboxin’ podcast featuring Jim Jones, he states: “Just go out there and go to the club, f— you, f— you, get girls, f— you, get jewelry, f— you, most of it is just giving s— away, just having fun, balling. Then at the end of the day, where the f— does all that s— go?”

Tyson once sailed the French Riviera for 3 months, and couldn’t walk afterward

At the height of his career, Tyson had even purchased a 150-foot yacht, solely for him and his friends to travel the world. According to Tyson, he spent 3 months on the French Riviera, traveling from Ibiza, Spain, to Moscow, Russia. They stopped along the way in Milan and Greece, casually picking up random women, using drugs, and being stopped by the police. 

In Tyson’s words, “we were like savages, like f—— pirates thinking we’re conquering these countries […].” He continues: “We had four different crews of the ship […] they would quit and then we’d have to more crews from other people.”

Apparently Tyson and his friends had been at sea for so long that his body had adapted to walking on the ship against the water current, and he had forgotten how to walk on solid ground. When they finally docked in Ukraine to travel to Russia, he was unable to keep his balance as he walked through the airport.

Mike Tyson’s stories never fail to entertain.

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