Mike Tyson at the US Open tennis tournament on August 26, 2019 in New York City.

-

Aurora Rose

The rumor recalls the most unbearable hours of segregation.

A video posted to Instagram on Tuesday is currently garnering its share, views and likes.

We see Mike Tyson and two other boxing champions praying before the eyes of two pensive people behind a counter.

In the introduction to the commentary that accompanies the video, we can read this: "A cafe owner in downtown Los Angeles wrote on the door of his establishment:" Dogs and Muslims are not allowed "...".

A few lines later, it is argued that "the owner of the cafe and his staff look on with humiliation as they pray, in the center of the cafe, in front of the owner and his staff ... Too scared to say a single word ...".

Affirmations that deserved a punch check.

FAKE OFF

The research didn't take long to bear fruit.

The video does show the former heavyweight world champion, who converted to Islam in the 1990s, praying in the company, to his right, of Badou Jack, a Swedish-Gambian light heavyweight champion. of the WBA, and, opposite him, Amer Abdallah, an American of Jordanian origin, kickboxing champion.

But a first clue makes it possible to doubt the presence of the three boxers, dressed in sportswear, barefoot or in socks, in a cafe.

It's the illuminated logo hanging on the wall behind them: it represents the letters TR, which are none other than the initials of the company and the brand created by Mike Tyson himself, Tyson Ranch.

A visit to the company's website, whose mission is to "make cannabis universally understood", and to the ex-boxer's Twitter account, confirms this.

Conclusion: the video was not shot in a cafe in Los Angeles, but in the boxer's complex in California.

New episode of @hotboxinpodcast tonight at 6pm with @LewisHowes pic.twitter.com/5fSdOG0gwM

- Mike Tyson (@MikeTyson) September 3, 2020

Some media, like AFP, which have already looked into the case, note that it is Mike Tyson's gym, which has a juice bar.

Second clue, and not the least: the video was posted by Badou Jack himself on his Twitter account on August 23, and is still pinned there.

His legend?

“Praying side by side with my brothers @ MikeTyson & @ TeamAbdallah #muslimbrothers #alhamdulilah.

"

Praying side by side with my brothers @MikeTyson & @TeamAbdallah #muslimbrothers #alhamdulillah pic.twitter.com/RpdXCfYWme

- Badou Jack (@BadouJack) August 23, 2020

Faced with the scale of backlash on social media over the past few days, and nearly two months after the video's initial publication, Amer Abdallah set the record straight on his Facebook account: “Badou Jack and I visited Mike Tyson in his private gym where he has a juice bar and we prayed to Dhuhr [one of the five Muslim daily prayers] together.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Brothers praying before training.

Point.

"

🙌 https://t.co/vH45uRgnX5

- Amer Abdallah (@TeamAbdallah) August 27, 2020

Screenshot of kickboxing champion Amer Abdallah's Instagram account confirming that he is praying with Badou Jack and Mike Tyson at the latter's California complex.

- Teamabdallah

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