The outspoken former undisputed heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, now 54, says an experience with the potent psychedelic 5-MeO-DMT sparked his return to the ring this past holiday weekend. The exhibition fight against Roy Jones Jr. was declared a draw. But for Tyson, it was all victory. It was his first fight in 15 years.
“I took the [5-MeO] and the medicine told me to get into shape,’’ Tyson told USA Today. “It really blew my mind. It told me to come back and start getting in shape.’’ Tyson says he lost more than 100 pounds for the fight with the help of the psychedelic.
What Is 5-MeO-DMT?
The psychedelic drug Tyson took ahead of the fight is often called “the god molecule” for the intense experience. It’s sourced from the venomous Colorado River Toad, also known as the Sonoran Desert Toad. Like the Amazonian jungle brew ayahuasca, it contains DMT (Dimethyltryptamine), the most powerful psychedelic on the planet. But its effects are different both experientially and physiologically. For some, 5-MeO can be a stronger experience, more transcendent and less visual than its plant-based cousin DMT. The experiences don’t last as long as the 6-8-hour DMT trip on ayahuasca, either. Most 5-MeO trips are under an hour. And they require significantly smaller dose sizes than other psychedelics.
Like other psychedelics, 5-MeO has been the subject of research for its potential in treating addiction, depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. Findings are proving significant: In one 2019 study conducted by Johns Hopkins University, 80 percent of users said they saw substantive improvements to their depression and anxiety after a single dose of 5-MeO.
Athletes and Psychedelics
Tyson joins a growing list of athletes turning to psychedelics. Former Philadelphia Flyer Riley Cote and former MMA fighter Ian McCall both microdosed to help with mental health issues; former Los Angeles Laker Lamar Odom used psychedelics to combat his drug addiction.
For Tyson, 5-MeO also highlighted more than just the physical. It called him to action on a human level, too.
“This is bigger than fighting and winning the championship,” Tyson said of fighting for charity. “We’re humanitarians and we’re helping people.”
