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Shark Week 2020: 'Tyson vs Jaws: Rumble on the Reef' disappoints viewers as 'boxing gimmick was unnecessary'

Many viewers tuned in to see a man famous for biting off his opponent's ear fight a shark but were left disappointed

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, 'Tyson vs Jaws: Rumble on the Reef' 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 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."

The description of the special had stated that Mike Tyson would "square off" with the Great White shark underwater, "where Mike Tyson will try to score a TKO over the massive shark." And so, many viewers tuned in to see a man famous for biting off his opponent's ear fight a shark whose species was made famous as the ocean's most dangerous predator by Steven Spielberg's 1975 film, 'Jaws'. 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.

However, most of 'Tyson vs Jaws: Rumble on the Reef' was about the heavyweight champion learning to overcome his fears of the sharks. At one point, before he has to dive in, Tyson was seen throwing up and it was interesting to see someone who is probably afraid of no other man get so terrified of the ocean creatures and standing up to that fear. While we did not expect a shark to don boxing gloves for the supposed boxing match, we had hoped for something closer to the claims of the special's description and fans felt the same way.

A fan tweeted, "The actual show was a bit dull. #SharkWeek #TysonvsJaws #JAWS." Another wrote, "#TysonvsJaws was an interesting and entertaining show about @MikeTyson learning how to scuba dive, and handle sharks so he can help with research. The forced boxing gimmick was unnecessary and insulting, to be honest. #SharkWeek2020 #Sharkweek."

A viewer opined, "So, from the feed it seems #TysonvsJaws was less about fighting a shark than harassing it? Sounds about right. #SharkWeek," while another wrote, "Basically. I am cooling off. No respect. The idea of respectful distance down the drain."

Some, however, applauded Tyson for confronting his fears. A user tweeted, "That was f***ing badass!!!!! Mike Tyson world heavy weight champion of the shark! @MikeTyson
#heavyweight #championofthesharks #SharkWeek2020 #TysonvsJaws."

'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.