Mike Tyson has shed more light on the leadup to his highly-anticipated fight against Jake Paul, as well as his experience inside the ring at AT&T Stadium on fight night
Mike Tyson has pulled the curtain on his divisive fight against Jake Paul.
Last month, Paul – or perhaps Father Time – decisively bested Tyson in front of a crowd of 70,000 at AT&T Stadium. Despite both combatants vowing that the highly-anticipated faceoff wouldn’t go the distance, the bout ended up spanning all eight, two-minute rounds – with all three judges ruling in favor of the YouTuber-turned-boxer.
After spending the better part of two decades away from the boxing ring, Tyson looked to be a shell of his former self upon returning to the stage where he dominated for so many years. The 58-year-old looked every bit his age versus Paul, 27, only managing to connect on 18 of his 97 punches thrown (18 percent).
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In the leadup to the lucrative fight – which became the most streamed global sporting event in history after Netflix raked in 108 million viewers – many fans expressed concern for Tyson’s health. The ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’ did little to ease these concerns following the bout, conceding that he suffered a major health scare prior and blacked out on fight night.
Below, Mirror U.S. Sports shares everything that Tyson has publicly said since duking it out with Paul.
Blanking out
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While appearing on Fox Sports Radio last week, Tyson admitted that he can’t recall what happened inside the ring for much of the eight-round bout, which he made sure to confirm was a “real fight.”
“I don’t remember the fight that much, I kind of blanked out. I haven’t watched the fight back,” he conceded. “You know what I remember… coming back from the first round and Jake was doing some sort of bow… that’s the last thing I remember.
“I wasn’t tired, I wasn’t sweaty,” Tyson noted. “I went to the house we were staying in, I left the house with my wife and kids, went to the after-party then went back.”
Second thoughts
On the heels of the watershed bout – which netted him around $20 million – Tyson questioned why he decided to take on Paul in the first place. “The day after the fight, I woke up and told my wife, ‘Why did I do that?’ I just don’t know what the hell went on.”
Tyson still relished the opportunity to fight following a long hiatus from the sport, adding: “This is one of those situations when you lost but still won … I’m grateful for [Friday] night and have no regrets about getting in the ring one last time.”
Health scare
Several months before the fight, Tyson revealed that he nearly lost his life after a medical health emergency required multiple blood transfusions. “I almost died in June,” he began. “I had eight blood transfusions. I 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 eight 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.”
Over in an instant
Speaking to 7News at a Miami pop-up event, Tyson asserted that he wasn’t tired after going toe-to-toe with Paul despite his old age. “It just happened so quick,” he said. “Eight rounds were over fast. I wasn’t tired. I wasn’t sweating. I didn’t understand that.”
Sky is the limit
As for what the future may hold, Tyson stopped short of ruling out yet another fight. “As I said before, the sky is the limit,” he said. “Anything I want, I’m just happy to be able to do it. I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to be able to do everything that I want to do in this and beyond.”Mike Tyson has pulled the curtain on his divisive fight against Jake Paul.
Fury has been married to his wife, Paris, since 2008. The couple have seven children together, and she is often at ringside for his fights.
Asked for his verdict on the rematch, Iron Mike told Fox Sports Radio: “Tyson Fury could have won that fight if he wasn’t playing around early in the fight.”
Fury added: “He beat me fair and square, give the man his props. I don’t understand why people have got an excuse like, ‘I lost the fight because I didn’t train great’. Or, ‘I lost the fight because the chef didn’t cook me the right foods’.
Following his defeat earlier this year, many boxing legends, including Ricky Hatton, have called for Tyson to remove his father John from his corner ahead of next weekend’s showdown. With a little over a week to go until the two heavyweight giants go glove-to-glove again, Crolla has weighed in on the corner debate in the first meeting – labelling it a ‘shambles.’
“When it’s time for Tyson to sit down in the corner, it might be time for one clear voice, and I believe that’s how it should be. I think Tyson will win the rematch, and I have always said I believe he is the best heavyweight in the world.”
