There are a lot of vegetarians on Earth, and every day there are more and more of them. There are more and more famous vegetarians. Last time we were talking about artists and musicians who refused meat. Mike Tyson, Mohammed Ali and other vegetarian athletes are the heroes of our today’s article. And we will start with a representative of one of the most “extreme” sports …
Viswanathan Anand. Chess. Grandmaster (1988), FIDE world champion (2000-2002). Anand plays very fast, spends minimal time thinking about moves, even when he meets the strongest chess players in the world. He is considered the strongest in the world in rapid chess (the time for the whole game is from 15 to 60 minutes) and in blitz (5 minutes).
Muhammad Ali. Boxing. 1960 Olympic Light Heavyweight Champion. Multiple World Heavyweight Champion. The founder of modern boxing. Ali’s “fly like a butterfly and sting like a bee” tactic was later adopted by many boxers around the world. Ali was named Sportsman of the Century in 1999 by Sports Illustrated and the BBC.
Ivan Poddubny. Struggle. Five-time world champion in classical wrestling among professionals from 1905 to 1909, Honored Master of Sports. For 40 years of performances, he has not lost a single championship (he had defeats only in separate fights).
Mike Tyson. Boxing. The absolute world champion in the heavy weight category according to the WBC (1986-1990, 1996), WBA (1987-1990, 1996) and IBF (1987-1990). Mike, the holder of several world records, once even bit off part of his opponent’s ear, but now he has completely lost all interest in the taste of meat. The vegetarian diet has clearly benefited the former boxer. Having gained a few extra tens of kilograms in recent years, Tyson now looks fit and athletic.
Johnny Weissmuller. Swimming. Five-time Olympic champion, set 67 world records. Also known as the world’s first Tarzan, Weissmuller played the title role in the 1932 film Tarzan the Ape Man.
Serena Williams. Tennis. “First racket” of the world in 2002, 2003 and 2008, Olympic champion in 2000, two-time winner of the Wimbledon tournament. In 2002-2003, she won all 4 Grand Slams in singles consecutively (but not in one year). Since then, no one has been able to repeat this achievement – neither among women, nor among men.
Mac Danzig. Martial arts. Winner of the 2007 KOTC Lightweight Championship. Mac has been on a strict vegan diet since 2004 and is an animal rights activist: “If you really care about animals and have the energy to do something, do it. Speak with confidence about what you believe and don’t try to force people to change. Remember that life is too short to wait. There is hardly a more rewarding deed than helping animals in need.”