The boxer later remarked that he believed Hasbulla was much younger than he actually is.
Mike Tyson mentioned that he thought Hasbulla was a baby when he picked him up and pretended to bite his ear.
The legendary boxer has a fight with Jake Paul scheduled soon, but last year he faced what could have been his toughest opponent yet on the Hotboxin’ podcast.
In the footage, Tyson and Hasbulla engage in a playful scuffle before Tyson lifts the 22-year-old and cradles him like a baby, even pretending to bite his ear.
It was an unusual moment, but certainly not the most outrageous thing Tyson has done involving ears.
Despite the odd encounter, Hasbulla expressed a desire to “do it again soon,” indicating that their next meeting would be “even bigger,” suggesting that all was well between them.
Tyson later mentioned that he mistook Hasbulla, who was 20 at the time he playfully nibbled his ear, for a baby.
Hasbulla has dwarfism due to a growth hormone deficiency, standing at 102 centimeters tall.
Regarding his condition, he stated, “I can’t say that I’m handicapped. I can speak, I understand. I have arms and legs just like everyone else.”
Although Hasbulla appeared to enjoy meeting Mike Tyson, the boxer recently shared on The Art of Ward podcast what was going through his mind when he picked him up and started nibbling on his ear.
He explained, “Yeah, I thought it was a baby. No, no. I didn’t know.
“That’s just how I am with kids—I’m hugging this guy, and he’s like 26 years old. I had no idea at all!”
Later in the podcast, Tyson was asked about his upcoming boxing match, which had been postponed earlier this year due to a medical emergency he experienced on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles.
Despite the matchup being between a 58-year-old and a 27-year-old, Tyson asserted that he doesn’t feel his age during training, telling podcast host Andre Ward, “I don’t think I’m 58.”
“Do you think I feel 58 when I’m sparring with these young fighters in the gym? They’re hitting me hard, and I’m hitting them back. He’s supposed to be the young guy, while I’m the old man.
“Being younger, he should be able to take punches from someone like me. But you can’t compare me to others my age because they haven’t trained as consistently or for as long as I have.”
Tyson described himself as a “different species of human being” and promised that his upcoming fight would be a “wonderful evening.”
