Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson has stated that a health emergency in June, which led to the postponement of his boxing match with Jake Paul, nearly cost him his life.
“I almost perished in June,” Tyson shared on X, revealing that he “underwent 8 blood transfusions, lost half of my blood, and shed 25 lbs during my hospitalization”.
The 58-year-old, who fell to the YouTuber-turned-boxer via a unanimous points decision in Texas, expressed that the situation was much graver than the public perceived.
After Tyson’s recovery from an reported ulcer flare-up, he pondered over the outcome of the match.
“This is one of those instances where you might have lost but still gained… no regrets about stepping into the ring one last time,” he remarked.
This stands in contrast to Tyson’s initial statements after the bout, where he hesitated to affirm if it would mark his final fight.
“It hinges on the circumstances,” Tyson commented, afterwards hinting at a possible matchup with Paul’s elder sibling, Logan Paul, who was positioned in close proximity during the fight.
Critics contended that the altered bout – characterized by fewer and abbreviated rounds, along with heavier gloves – failed to provide sufficient entertainment.
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Paul beats Tyson by unanimous decision
Some observers suggested it resembled a glorified sparring session.
This matchup marked Tyson’s first sanctioned professional appearance since 2005, when he was defeated by Kevin McBride, leading to his retirement – which was only momentarily interrupted by a previous exhibition bout in 2020 against Roy Jones Jr.
Jake Paul believes he can fight for a championship belt within two years. Pic: AP
Paul has much to demonstrate
At 27, Paul has significant goals ahead. The social media star aspires to become a championship boxer and aims to contend for a championship belt in the upcoming two years. “I believe it could transpire within the next 24 months,” Paul expressed.
“I wholeheartedly believe in my skills, capabilities, and strength. The cruiserweight division appears ready for an opportunity during that timeframe,” he added.
The only professional match he has lost thus far was against Tommy Fury, the less-acclaimed sibling of former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
However, there are lingering uncertainties regarding when Paul might face a contender at their peak, rather than former champions or mixed martial artists.
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Interestingly, in the days leading up to his matchup with Tyson, Paul referenced super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, regarded as one of the finest boxers globally.
Reports indicated that the Texas fight netted Paul $40m (£31.7m) while Tyson earned $20m (£15.8m).
Netflix reported that 60 million households globally viewed the event on its streaming service, with nearly 50 million tuning in for the undercard featuring Ireland’s Katie Taylor defeating Puerto Rico’s Amanda Serrano.
Nonetheless, some experienced technical issues. Over 90,000 users reported difficulties on Netflix at its peak, according to Downdetector, a site that tracks outages.
