I almost died: Mike Tyson hints at retirement, recalls health battle

Legendary Mike Tyson opened up on the health scare that he faced in the lead-up to his fight against Jake Paul. Tyson was originally set to fight Paul on July 20, but the bout was postponed due to an ulcer flare-up of the 58-year-old. Tyson took to X after his November 15 showdown against Jake Paul and revealed that he nearly died in June.
The boxer revealed that he was already in peak physical shape in May but had to lose it all due to multiple blood transfusions. The boxer stated that he had to begin his training from scratch and was proud of whatever he had achieved during the process. Tyson also hinted at not returning to the ring, despite stating in the post-match interview on Friday that he would fight in the future under correct circumstances.

“This is one of those situations when you lost but still won. I’m grateful for last night. No regrets to get in ring one last time. I almost died in June. Had 8 blood transfusions. Lost half my blood and 25lbs in hospital and had to fight to get healthy to fight so I won. To have my children see me stand toe to toe and finish 8 rounds with a talented fighter half my age in front of a packed Dallas Cowboy stadium is an experience that no man has the right to ask for. Thank you,” Mike Tyson wrote on X after the match.
Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul: Highlights | Report
Originally, the match between Tyson and Paul was scheduled for July 20, 2024. However, the fight was postponed to November after Tyson experienced an “ulcer flare up” while on a flight May 26.
In Netflix’s docuseries “Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson,” which was released in the lead-up to the fight, Tyson had opened up on his recovery process.
“I asked the doctor, ‘Am I going to die?’ And she didn’t say no, she said, ‘We have options, though,’” Tyson said. “That’s when I got nervous.”
Tyson spoke to the New Yorker Magazine before the fight and had explained how he had to train everything from the start because the hospitalisation had ‘thrown him off’.
“It threw me off. All my coordination, stamina, everything was hectic getting back. I was peaked already. I could have fought him that day. Now I got to start from scratch,” Tyson said.
On Friday, November 15, Mike Tyson made a return to the ring after a 19-year hiatus, while Paul had a record of 10-1 coming to the fight. There was tension before the match as Tyson proceeded to slap Paul during the weigh-ins and even proclaimed he wouldn’t lose. On the day of the bout, both men would proudly proclaim that they would win, with Paul predicting a knockout. Tyson, on the other hand, simply said ‘a vicious win.’
Paul was tested in the initial rounds, but fatigue and age caught up to Tyson in the end.
Tyson started on the front foot, and he had Paul on the ropes early on and landed some strikes in. The Problem Child slowly grew into the fight towards the end as he started to find his rhythm.
Paul and Tyson were feeling each other out in the second round of the bout, with the Problem Child keeping his guard down mostly and inviting the boxing legend to engage in a war with him.
After dominating thr first two rounds, Iron Mike exploded out of his corner in round three but Paul was quickly able to counter and take charge. A triple jab from Paul rocked Tyson badly and the legend was on the ropes for the remainder of the round. Paul took the round 10-9 as the scoreline read 29-28 in favour of Tyson heading into Round 4.
Tyson’s legs started to show fatigue and he started to be less mobile, allowing Paul to dictate terms in Round 4. After tying the scores in Round 4, Paul was able to land a few good body shots towards the end and see off the fight against Tyson.