Tyson’s TV joint
MIKE Tyson (inset) is shopping a new TV show, based on the boxer’s life as a marijuana grower and marketer. Tyson will star in the scripted comedy called “Rolling With the Punches.”
The former heavyweight champ is shooting the show at his Tyson Ranch office in El Segundo, Calif., with Chuck Zito reprising his real-life role as Iron Mike’s bodyguard and
Russell Peters playing his “useless best friend.”
Tyson told me the show, like Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” is loosely based on his life.
“It’s simple. I’m playing a retired boxer who is growing marijuana,” Ty- son said. “It’s basically me acting like me, so people can get a look at what my life could be like in different scenarios.”
Tyson’s business partner Rob Hickman said that Joe
Roth, who used to run 20th Century Fox and Walt Disney Studios, is producing and a sizzle reel has already been delivered to the top networks. Hickman expects the show to be on the air in five months.
Ground was broken in December on Tyson Ranch, a 40-acre plot of land about 60 miles southwest of Death Valley National Park. Besides growing premium pot, Tyson Ranch will feature a cultivation school to teach growers the latest technology, an edible factory, a hydrofeed and supply store, plus cabins and “glamping” campgrounds for stoner tourists. Advertising marijuana and pot products is banned, but Tyson Ranch merchandise will be featured on the show. Tyson is a big proponent of weed’s health benefits and said 85 percent of pro athletes use some form of cannabis to relieve pain, inflammation and anxiety. “I smoke it all day, every day,” Tyson said.