Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson has revealed that he used fentanyl during his boxing career to cope with pain, describing the experience as similar to heroin withdrawal once the drug wore off, as reported by The New York Post.

Tyson, 58, made the admission during an appearance on the Katie Miller Podcast released Tuesday. “It was a painkiller, and I used to use it to patch up my toe,” Tyson said.

“It was like heroin — once it wears off and you take the Band-Aid off, you start withdrawing, throwing up, just like if you were on heroin.”

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Tyson explained that he was introduced to fentanyl by a friend during his fighting days. “It was illegal if it [was] caught in my bloodstream. It was a narcotic, my friend told me. It was brand new. I told my friend, ‘Could I use this?’ No one ever heard of it,” Tyson recalled.

Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more powerful than heroin, has been legally approved by the Food and Drug Administration for medical use in pain relief. However, it is also linked to widespread abuse and fatal overdoses.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that more than 48,000 Americans died from fentanyl overdoses last year.

Tyson has long spoken publicly about his struggles with addiction and substance abuse. He also connected his use of fentanyl to recurring foot pain, an issue that resurfaced before his November 2024 fight with Jake Paul.

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During the weigh-in for that bout, Tyson slapped Paul after the YouTuber-turned-boxer stepped on his toe. Tyson would go on to lose that fight, which was heavily criticized despite its high profile.

Tyson also reflected on the struggles faced by other boxers, pointing to his late friend Arturo Gatti, who battled opioid issues before his death in 2009.

Mike Tyson opened up on the “Katie Miller Podcast” that he used and relied on fentanyl at one point in his life to deal with pain. https://t.co/fMEyCxES1y pic.twitter.com/8z3tOKjy4g

— TMZ (@TMZ) September 10, 2025

In recent years, Tyson has said he turned away from more dangerous substances in favor of marijuana, which he now markets through his cannabis business ventures. He has promoted marijuana as a safer alternative for pain management.

Tyson, who dominated boxing in the late 1980s and early 1990s as one of the sport’s most feared fighters, is expected to return to the ring in early 2026 for an exhibition bout against Floyd Mayweather.

The fight will mark another chapter in Tyson’s high-profile comeback efforts, even as revelations about his past drug use add new context to his career.

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