Mike Tyson and Jake Paul have been given the green light to step into the ring on Friday night. Tyson, at 58 years old, will be returning to professional boxing after nearly two decades when he faces off against Paul in front of a crowd of 75,000 in Dallas.
The YouTuber, who is 27 years Tyson’s junior, has vowed to knock out the former undisputed heavyweight world champion. Both fighters underwent heart and brain scans prior to the match, with Tyson’s health being closely monitored due to his age and a recent health scare involving an inflamed ulcer just two months before his originally scheduled fight with Paul.
The bout had to be postponed when Tyson collapsed on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles, coughing up blood. However, a representative from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation confirmed to Mirror Fighting that both fighters are fit to compete at the AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys.
Concerns about Tyson’s health were heightened when he revealed in a Netflix documentary that he asked a doctor in May if he was going to die following his medical emergency. “A week and a half ago I was training and I was doing great but then all of a sudden I started feeling tired,” he shared.
“I was explaining to my trainer, ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with me’. Coming here from Miami on the plane, I went to the bathroom and I threw up blood.
“The next thing I know I’m on the floor, I was defacating tar. So I came here and they found I had a big ulcer, two-and-a-half inches, and it was bleeding. All my friends were calling me like I was dying.
“I asked the doctor if I was going to die and she didn’t say no. She said we have options though, and that’s when I got nervous. I can’t wait to get out of this, man. God, I want to fight and start training. I don’t want to die in the hospital bedroom, I want to die in the ring.
“You wouldn’t believe what I endured from my ulcer. I lost 26 pounds, can you imagine that? I was so —– off because I had peaked. I was good, talking —-, ready.”
Tyson pushed the fight back by four months and will take part in his first bout since he drew with fellow legend Roy Jones Jr in 2020, while his last professional outing saw him quit on his stool after five rounds against Kevin McBride in 2005.
Source: The Mirror US
