Mike Tyson admits he used fentanyl 'quite a few times' during his boxing career as painkiller

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Mike Tyson has long been an advocate of marijuana use, even for athletes. But there is one other drug he used to take at the back end of his prime.

The heavyweight champ revealed on "The Katie Miller Podcast" that he took fentanyl "quite a few times" during the late '90s.

"It was a painkiller, and I used to use it to patch up my toe," Tyson said.

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Mike Tyson weighs in at the Toyota Music Factory in Irving, Texas on November 14, 2024 ahead of his match with Jake Paul. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The effects of the drug got to the boxer quite quickly, and quitting was apparently difficult.

"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," Tyson said.

But Tyson had no choice but to stop.

"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 said.

On the podcast, Tyson again called for the use of marijuana, particularly for athletes.

"It's not a drug. It's medicine," Tyson said.

Boxer Mike Tyson of the United States (top right) exhorts Andrew Golota of Poland (not pictured) to continue fighting as referee Frank Garza Jr. raises his hand to award a TKO after Golota refused to answer the bell for the third round of their fight at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Michigan on Oct. 20, 2000. (DANIEL LIPPITT/AFP via Getty Images)

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Tyson added that athletes "play better" when they smoke, and said he