Jamie Foxx breaks down his extensive boxing training for Mike Tyson biopic

Jamie Foxx has opened up about his extensive training to become Mike Tyson, saying that he’s never been more dedicated to a role.

That’s particularly exciting to hear when you consider that Foxx was so convincing as legendary singer and musician Ray Charles for Ray that he won the Best Actor Oscar, BAFTA, Screen Actors Guild Award, Critics’ Choice Award, and Golden Globe Award, all in the same year.

During his recent conversation with Cinema Blend, Foxx called his preparation to play Mike Tyson “a blessing,” before then adding, “Obviously, the training is different. We’re doing weighted pull ups to sort of make the back look the right way, and make the arm look a certain way.”

“But it is, to me, I guarantee you, it’s the most dedicated I’ve been to making sure that this story gets told, and gets told in the right way. And I joke with Mike. I said, ‘When I get dressed up as you, I’m going to walk into your house, and your kids are going to say daddy’s home.’”

Tyson is clearly helping with the actor’s preparation for the film, too. Foxx admitted that he was on the phone with him earlier this week, and he only had positive words to say about his mindset and physique.

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“I just got off the phone with him yesterday. He’s still writing another chapter in his life. He’s getting ready to box. He’s 226 pounds. He looks fantastic. He’s calm, he’s happy. You haven’t seen this Mike in years.”

At the moment, Foxx’s Tyson biopic still doesn’t actually have a director. Or even a title. But Foxx’s constant descriptions and breakdowns of the script and the film are doing a great job at raising anticipation.