The boxer feared he was ‘going to die’
Mike Tyson has revealed he “threw up blood” and was “defecating tar” when he suffered a medical emergency which forced him to cancel his fight with Jake Paul.
On November 15, Tyson is set to face Paul at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The pair had been due to face-off in July, but the fight was postponed after Iron Mike was hospitalised with a stomach ulcer and was advised by his doctor to refrain from any heavy training in order to recover.
Now, the 58-year-old has opened up about just how serious the ulcer flare-up was.
Speaking to Netflix in their new documentary, Countdown: Paul vs Tyson, the boxer revealed the he passed out during a flight after he vomited blood.
He said: “A week and a half [before the incident] I was training and I was doing great.
“Then I started feeling tired. I was explaining to my trainer, I don’t know what is wrong with me.
“Coming [to LA] from Miami on the plane, I went to the bathroom and I threw up blood.
“The next thing I knew I was on the floor. I was defecating tar.”
When he went to hospital, doctors found Tyson was suffering from a two-and-a-half inch stomach ulcer.
Tyson recalled that at one point, he was “nervous” he would die as a result of the medical emergency.
He said: “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 motherf**ker, 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.”
Tyson will be assessed by Texas Licensing Regulators the day before his bout with Paul to make sure he is fit to fight.
Many have raised safeguarding concerns about the fight, with Tyson set to take on a man half his age.
The age gap between the two fighters – 58 and 27 – will be the largest in professional boxing history, but Tyson has previously promised he will “finish” Paul.
The bout, which is being aired on Netflix, will be Iron Mike’s first professional fight since 2005 and the first time he has stepped in the ring since he took on Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition in 2020.
Paul, meanwhile, last fought in February as he stopped Ryan Bourland in the first round, with his only loss coming to Tommy Fury.
The fight will be contested over eight, two-minute rounds with both Paul and Tyson wearing 14-ounce gloves in the ring and no headgear.
