'Shark Week 2020': Mike Tyson 'knocks out’ a shark, then says 'it’s pretty liberating'

In the recent episode of Discovery's Shark Week 2020, which aired on August 9, WWE Hall of fame Mike Tyson faced sharks in Tyson Vs. Jaws: Rumble on the Reef. Tyson joined a team of scientists on a dive in the Bahamas, where he wrangled a shark and coaxed it into a sleep-like state, known as tonic immobility, followed by a scientist attaching a camera to the shark’s dorsal fin. As he was gearing up to dive, Mike admitted that he was scared. 

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Mike Tyson in Shark Week

In the episode, Mike Tyson was heard saying, "This is something that I’m doing from an egotistical perspective. It connects with everything I think about myself. That I’m the most ferocious, the meanest, the baddest animal that breathes air". After getting comfortable with sharks inside the water, Tyson was seen panicking as dozens of sharks swam nearby. Amid all this, when Tyson was asked how he was feeling, he replied, “I’m scared to death". Before the final dive, Tyson’s fear manifested in a physical reaction as he vomited on the boat while getting ready.

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But, as the episode moved further, Tyson did exactly what he was taught. The scientists were looking to attach the camera to a certain shark they photographed on an earlier dive. As the oxygen tanks were getting low, Tyson caught the shark by the snout and coaxed it into tonic immobility as long as it took to get the camera attached. After coming on the surface, Tyson said, “I didn’t really experience fear until I came to the Bahamas. I was really scared. I was apprehensive about even doing this stuff." “But I was disciplined enough to go through the process and I overcame that. This experience is really worth it. Just overcoming that fear in general, making death irrelevant, it’s pretty liberating".

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Discovery Channel's Shark Week

Discovery Channel‘s Shark Week started airing from August 9. The show will highlight shark-related programming for over 20 hours till August 16. The annual tradition of the channel will take viewers around the world as they explore shark habitats in Australia and South Africa, and search New Zealand waters for a 20-foot long shark named Fred. Apart from Mike Tyson, Shaquille O’Neal, Will Smith, Snoop Dogg, Adam Devine, Dude Perfect, Mark Rober, Anders Holm, and Blake Anderson will also appear throughout the programming. 

READ | Mike Tyson Prepping To Fight A Great White Shark To Overcome Fear Of boxing Return At 54

Mike Tyson's comeback

Reported by Daily Mail, Mike Tyson faces off against a white shark in "the name of research". Reports also stated that the iconic ring announcer Michael Buffer will take part in the event. Although most of the details regarding the fight were kept under wraps, Tyson admitted that he took on this challenge to overcome his fears of making a boxing comeback.