Mike Tyson kept things simple when it came to dispatching his opponents - and the same was true of his diet.
The American legend insists he is retired for good after a brief comeback against Roy Jones Jr in 2020 following a sensational career in the sport where he once reigned as undisputed heavyweight champion. Tyson has since remained in incredible shape, regularly showing off a ripped six-pack in the gym.
And when he was at his peak, Tyson's diet consisted of around 4,000 calories-a-day which included three large meals with regular snacking. But compared to the diet of today's heavyweights Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, it was somewhat plain and boring.
His workout and diet plan was initially overseen by trainer Cus D’Amato who passed away shortly after Tyson's professional career began. However he continued with the eating schedule throughout the rest of his illustrious time in the heavyweight ranks.
Tyson saw the importance of carbohydrates to fuel his boxing workouts and began the day with a carbohydrate-heavy breakfast of Oatmeal with milk and further vitamin supplements. After going to the gym, Tyson's lunch would then consist of chicken breast and rice with orange juice. After finishing his traditional day, Tyson would have a dinner of steak and pasta with more orange juice to continue his high intake of protein and vitamins.
Throughout a typical training day, Tyson would snack regularly with protein shakes which contained six blended bananas to maintain a balance in his diet. He would also cheat in order to gain weight by eating ice cream and Cap’n Crunch cereal despite the latter's low nutritional value, but this only usually came once a week.
His meals would range between 3,000 and 4,000 calories depending on his desired weight for a potential opponent through his time in the ring. Tyson is widely regarded as one of the most successful athletes of the modern generation and has proved an inspiration for many.
Undefeated heavyweight champion Fury has overtaken the mantle in the modern era and required a strict diet after ballooning to around 400lbs in weight while suffering mental health problems before his comeback. When fighting in his recent trilogy battle with Deontay Wilder and for his upcoming clash with Dillian Whyte, Fury has seeked the guidance of nutritionist George Lockhart who also works with UFC star Conor McGregor.
Despite giving little care to his physique in aesthetic terms, Fury has been in terrific shape recently as he continues to be arguably the leading heavyweight in boxing. In contrast to Tyson, the 'Gypsy King' consumes around six-meals-a-day of smaller calories. To begin the day Fury begins with a breakfast containing greek yoghurt and berries.
He has two lunches before and after his training which include salmon and a type of meat cooked into a curry which varies depending on days of the week. Spicy food is liked by Fury to help with inflammation throughout the day. Fury will then proceed to have two dinner servings, which is likely to be any meat he didn't eat before hand including pork and chicken with vegetables and spinach.
Fury will later have 'power balls' as a supper which are useful for fuelling protein growth and increase of muscle mass. They contain almond butter, oatmeal, coconut, honey, pecans and dark chocolate chips all rolled into balls. On a typical day, Fury can consume around 4000-4500 calories-a-day but was on a significantly lower diet of 2,500 calories-a-day when making his remarkable body transformation for his comeback in 2018.
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His heavyweight rival Joshua has also had a hugely successful career having reigned as two-time unified heavyweight champion despite having two losses on his record to Andy Ruiz Jr and Oleksandr Usyk. Joshua's diet similarly to both Tyson and Fury, eats around 4,000-calories-a-day typically which can even rise to 5,000.
Joshua's performance nutritionist Mark Ellison plans his meals which follow in the footsteps of Tyson with three larger meals a day typically during training camp. 'AJ' begins his day with fresh fruit, oats, yoghurt and milk.
This is followed by another bigger breakfast of five eggs, vegetables and a smoked salmon bagel to fuel his workout and muscle growth with protein and carbohydrates. The British star has been known throughout his career for his tremendous physique and has always looked in ripped shape.
Joshua will later have a snack in the morning during his workout which consists of a high-electrolyte drink with a recovery shake and a sandwich. He will later move on to lunch which is typically a form of meat including chicken breast with vegetables and potatoes. This is promptly followed by a dessert of further yoghurt and honey.
Joshua will then continue his training day before ending the day with a final meal consisting of another meat, typically steak, with pasta and rice cooked with vegetables. However before his typical day is done, Joshua will have a slow-release protein shake and protein-bars before going to bed to help continue the following morning.
