Dubai: Former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson has chosen Dubai to launch his new business venture, a franchise of fitness centers called the Mike Tyson Academy (MTA).
The MTA has already garnered international interest with academies looking to open in the Middle East, Australia, France, west Africa and China.
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Tyson held the record of being the youngest boxer to win the World Boxing Association, World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation heavyweight titles at the age of 20.
The 50-year-old Tyson will be revealing more about the venture on May 4 to be followed by the launch on May 6.
Asked why he chose Dubai, Tyson said the city has established itself on the world map by hosting many leading sporting events and icons, besides attributing it to the residents' obsession with fitness.
"I strive to maintain consistency across all my centers with trainers that have been certified by me as well as exceptional training staff who will be on site to ensure a certain benchmark is maintained," Tyson said.
The American boxing icon added, "I am positive that this is going to be only the beginning of a long-running successful association between myself and the region."