19 June 2020

Jamie Foxx reveals he will play Mike Tyson in movie

Hollywood actor Jamie Foxx has confirmed he will play legendary heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson in a movie about the fighter’s life.

The biopic, which will document the highs and lows of the youngest world heavyweight champion, is set to be the first film created about the now 53-year-old.

Tyson was one of the most feared boxers in the world during the 1980s and 90s (PA)

And Foxx admitted he was thrilled to be playing the famous boxer who he met years ago in very unique circumstances.

Speaking on an Instagram Live, he said: "It's a definitive yes.

"Doing biographies is a tough thing. Sometimes it takes 20 years to get them done, but we officially got the real ball rolling.

"I met Mike Tyson in the weirdest way, I was on stage doing stand-up years ago [when I was 22]. I get to my Mike Tyson joke and nobody claps, nobody laughs. You know why? Because Mike Tyson was watching.

"So I started hanging out with Mike Tyson so I got to see Mike in two different ways, two different lives.

"I saw him at the height of his career and then when things got bad, things got bumpy, I also saw him as well, so what I'm excited about the movie is to show those moments of the different Mike.

"That's the person we want to show."

Tyson has recently announced his plans to return to the ring for exhibition bouts, with former rival Evander Holyfield also planning to fight again.

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