Mike Tyson Faces 'Jaws' On Discovery Channel's Shark Week

NEW YORK, NY — Mike Tyson, the former heavyweight champion of the world who retired from boxing 14 years ago, is not done fighting. But before he steps in the ring with Roy Jones Jr. for one final exhibition bout on Sept. 12, the self-proclaimed “baddest man on Earth” will square off with the baddest creature of the sea.

“Tyson vs. Jaws: Rumble on the Reef” will feature a man whose life has given the public a mix of awfulness and mind-boggling silliness on the first night of The Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week.” The episode will air at 9 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday, Aug. 9.

Discovery Channel, newly headquartered in New York City after several years in Maryland, has lightly, but often, promoted the battle that will feature legendary ring announcer Michael Buffer call the action.

“Someone’s going to get bit,” Tyson says in a 30-second commercial.

But Tyson’s experience in that category may not give him the advantage. Sharks have only an inner ear, “which consists of three chambers and an ear stone called an otolith,” according to Sea World.

The Discovery Channel has assured that no sharks were harmed in the episode's filming, according to an Entertainment Weekly report. The station didn't mention if any boxing legends who bit off an opponent's ear were.

It's likely that no one gets harmed though, leaders of two animal rights groups have said. But Kathryn Kullberg, director of marine and wildlife protection for the Humane Society of the United States, still takes issue with the Discovery Channel’s idea to use a shark for this purpose.

“While it is unlikely that Mike Tyson will be ‘fighting’ a shark in the traditional sense," Kullberg told Patch. "Advertising the concept of the heavyweight boxer hosting a bout with a shark perpetuates the idea that sharks are creatures to be feared, glorifies violence against them and minimizes the danger humans pose to sharks.”

She said tens of millions of sharks are killed worldwide every year in the shark fin trade, with “many of them finned alive and left to suffer and die slowly on the ocean floor.”

“As a world-renowned fighter fueled by a plant-based diet, surely Mike Tyson knows the best way to respect sharks is by promoting their conservation in their natural habitat for years to come.”

PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said Discovery Channel is “exploiting the fear of animals who just want to be left alone in their natural homes, and its latest irresponsible hype is just that - hype."

"Michael Phelps didn't race a shark, Paul Rosolie wasn't 'eaten alive' by an anaconda and Mike Tyson isn't going to fight a shark," Newkirk said, pointing to Tyson's recent regret about having owned tigers himself.

"Judging by the remorse that Mike Tyson expressed about keeping tigers in captivity, he won't be doing anything to harm sharks," she said.

But Tyson's website still shows apparel being sold, and him modeling a shirt with the word "TYSON" and an image of a tiger on it. He also has gear featuring another animal, and it's not a shark.

The ever-humble Brooklyn-born 54-year-old has a "G.O.A.T. Tee" available, apparently referring to himself as boxing's "greatest of all-time " — even though Muhammad Ali never lost to anyone of Buster Douglas’ level during his prime.