Shark Week 2020 | 'Tyson vs Jaws: Rumble on the Reef': What does Mike Tyson have in common with Great Whites?
Discovery has kicked off Shark Week 2020 with a special that is sure to blow your minds away. Who better to fight a Great White shark than the legendary boxer, Mike Tyson. This shark special sees Tyson engage in a few rounds of fights with a shark for the purpose of research.
In a press release from Discovery Channel, Tyson said that he "took on this challenger to overcome fears I still deal with in life". He goes on to say, “I equate this with overcoming my fear of getting back into the ring at 54 years old. I learned from this experience doing Shark Week that whatever intimidates me, I am still able to step up to the challenge of overcoming anything that would prevent me from accomplishing my life’s mission of reaching my highest potential in life and bringing me closer to God."
There is, of course, one thing that might come to your mind when it comes to what could be common between Tyson and the Great White, and that is both of them are capable of taking big chunks out of their prey. In June 1997, during a boxing match with Evander Holyfield, Tyson bit off a chunk of his opponent's ear in the third round and spit it onto the ring. The attack led to his disqualification from the match and suspension from boxing.
Another common aspect about Tyson and the Great White shark you may not realize is their childhoods. The Great White shark often starts life alone as the mother shark is likely to look at the small fish as prey. The shark then grows up to its full length, learning to take care of itself along the way. Similarly, Tyson had to look after himself when he was growing up. Tyson's father abandoned his family around the time he was born, leaving his mother behind to take care of Tyson and his siblings. Tyson's mother died when he was just 16 years old. Tyson often lamented that his mother had not seen him grow up to be a heavyweight champion.
Yet another similarity is that both Tyson and the Great White shark are enjoying a resurgence in their popularities. Tyson's boxing career soon waned and crashed after the ear-biting incident. It was not until he played a fictional version of himself in the 2009 film, 'The Hangover' starring Bradley Cooper and Zach Galifianakis, that he began to headline the news again. From there, Tyson began to book a number of roles in various programs. Similarly, the Great White shark had been vilified after Steven Spielberg's hit thriller film, 'Jaws', which led to the sharks being hunted en masse. However, through animal activism efforts, including Discovery Channel's Shark Week programming, public knowledge about the misunderstood predator is growing.
'Tyson vs Jaws: Rumble on the Reef' aired on Discovery Channel on August 9 at 9/8c. An encore presentation will air on August 10 at 1 am ET.