Mike Tyson has traded the boxing ring for a different kind of fight, and for one day, Phoenix served as his training ground.
Earlier this month, the former heavyweight champion joined Arizona leaders, not to talk about knockouts, but to rally youth around fitness and purpose. Backed by the Boys & Girls Club of the Valley, Tyson spoke to an eager group of adolescents urging them to get active.
“Fitness is so vital and important at a young age,” he said. “Which is why I think it’s great, and I’m happy to partner up with the representatives and Boys & Girls Club to promote the statewide fitness challenge.”
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Tyson’s Transformational Technologies Academy is located in Phoenix, and several graduates of the school were in attendance. It was a full-circle moment for the kids as they saw what they can aspire to become.
“I had cancer, I grew up overweight and lived an unhealthy lifestyle,” said Jose Beltran, a Boys & Girls Club member. “Tyson’s videos motivated me to work out, and now I’ve lost 60 pounds.”
Beltran’s story of fighting to become physically fit was the motto the event aimed to promote.
Several state representatives from the Valley were in attendance. Many allowed the Boys & Girls Club kids to sit in their seats.
“I had heard on the radio that most high school students were physically unfit,” said Rep. Teresa Martinez, an Arizona state representative. “I overheard Tyson, along with a congressman, wanted to bring back the fitness test and thought that was a great idea.”
Tyson later posed for a photo with all the children in attendance from the Boys & Girls Club and his academy.
“I’m excited for members of my school graduating, who got out of rough situations and made an education from it,” Tyson said. “My next goal is to help give children an opportunity to be physically fit and improve their health.”
Tyson then set a push-up challenge for the kids and students from his school. Participating with the kids were Big Red, the Cardinals mascot, Baxter, the Diamondbacks mascot, and Spirit, the Fiesta Bowl mascot.
“It was important to be able to turn this into a fun event,” Martinez said. “Such a serious issue needs to be addressed in a way that will encourage kids to follow through with this.”
Other speakers from the Boys & Girls Club also expressed their gratitude for meeting with state representatives, in hopes of forming a long-term partnership to accomplish their goals for youth.
“Together we can beat childhood obesity,” said Josh Stine, vice president of external affairs for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley. “The starting point is challenging kids to stay fit in a competitive way — that is the fitness challenge.”
