Mike Tyson, the former heavyweight champion and cannabis mogul (with ear-shaped gummies) tells Forbes how pot changed his life—and the secret weapon that will help him smoke Jake Paul in their fight.

While Iron Mike was prone to being his own hype man as a fighter, he’s not far off with his claims about his budding cannabis company. Tyson 2.0 sells marijuana products—including flower, vapes and edibles made in the shape of Evander Holyfield’s ear, which Tyson notoriously bit during a 1997 match—in 20 states across the U.S., and in Amsterdam, Barcelona and Thailand. The company, through a partnership with PHCANN International in Macedonia, is in the process of launching in Germany’s newly legalized adult-use market as well as the U.K.’s highly restrictive medical marijuana industry.

Tyson 2.0 works off a licensing model, cutting deals with franchisees who grow, manufacture, and sell his branded cannabis products. In 2023, the brand generated $150 million in revenue, Forbes estimates, with about 30% coming from cannabis sales and the rest from accessories, CBD, nicotine vaporizers and other products.

Tyson 2.0’s flower is branded with names drawn from his legendary boxing career, including Dynamite Cookies (his first nickname was Kid Dynamite) and Knockout OG (Tyson won 44 of his 50 boxing career wins by KO). But the company’s flagship product Mike Bites—the edible in the shape of Holyfield’s half-bitten ear—was developed by Tyson’s wife, Kiki.

Read the full story on Forbes:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/willyakowicz/2024/04/26/mike-tyson-on-becoming-a-heavy-hitter-in-weed/

Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1

Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:

https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript

Stay Connected
Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com
Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes
Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes
More From Forbes: http://forbes.com

Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.

source