Mike Tyson has revealed what forced him to postpone his fight with Jake Paul several months after the Problem Child reportedly changed his view of the former heavyweight champion
Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson has already sparked plenty of drama and controversy, and neither of them has touched gloves yet.
Their controversial showdown, which is being booked as a professional fight, is scheduled to take place on November 15 at the AT&T Arena in Arlington, Texas, in front of 90,000 fans. Initially, the bout was pencilled in for July, but Tyson pulled out due to an ulcer flare-up a few weeks prior.
The boxing legend was forced to stop training on his doctor’s orders, and the clash was pushed back four months. In a recent interview with the Daily Mail, the 58-year-old claimed his diet was to blame for his ill health but insisted he is now “ulcer-free” and “eating clean”.
When Tyson pulled out back in May, Paul admitted he was disappointed but wished the former world heavyweight champion a speedy recovery, adding that he “loves” and has “so much respect” for ‘Iron Mike’. His wholesome response didn’t come as too much of a surprise given the history between the pair.
Both Paul and Tyson have, generally speaking, shown the utmost respect for one another in the build-up to their fight. They’ve been chummy ever since Paul fought on the undercard for Tyson’s exhibition clash with Roy Jones Jr back in 2020 – a bout that marked Tyson’s first in-ring action for nearly 15 years.
After building his reputation as a legitimate boxer for another couple of years, Paul began trying to coax Tyson back into the ring. Talks between the pair reportedly began in late 2023, and the clash was officially announced in March 2024.
However, their friendly accord was strained when clips emerged online of Tyson partying just a few weeks after he pulled out of the bout on medical grounds. Shortly after, Paul’s manager Nakisa Bidarian revealed that ‘the Problem Child’ was “p*****” about it, particularly after expressing concern for ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’.
Speaking to the MMA Hout, Bidarian summed the situation up: “I thought he [Tyson] was injured, what’s going on?” he asked. However, Tyson’s latest comments seem to confirm his prior poor state of health. “I was doing too much bad food and stuff, and I got sick,” he revealed.
The Brooklyn-born fighter also claimed that he was vaping a lot at the time but has since cut back. He also said he’s been avoiding “processed foods” since the fight was re-arranged.
There are 31 years between Tyson and Paul and many have criticised the spectacle, insisting that it’s a risk Tyson shouldn’t be taking at his age. Some have also suggested the bout could spoil Tyson’s legacy, but the man himself says he doesn’t care about that.
“I didn’t take this fight for legacy,” he said. “I think legacy really, to my perspective, legacy is ego. Who gives a f*** how people think about them when they are gone? I’m dead. I can’t value off what somebody might think about me when I’m dead, so it means nothing to me.”
Tyson hasn’t fought professionally since 2005, when he lost to Kevin McBride. He’s since participated in two exhibition matches, one in 2006 against Corey Sanders and another in 2020 against Jones.
Paul, meanwhile, has 10 wins from 11 professional fights, having launched his boxing career nearly five years. His only defeat came against Tommy Fury, brother of Tyson Fury, back in February 2023.
