Mike Tyson threw up blood before passing out in medical emergency then ignored doctors’ advice NOT to fight Jake Paul
MIKE TYSON has opened up on his mile-high medical emergency – which had him throwing up blood and “defecating tar.”
The boxing icon was left hospitalized after he fell ill during a flight from Miami to Los Angeles in May.
Tyson, 58, had been due to battle YouTuber Jake Paul, 27, just weeks later in a remarkable comeback dust-up.
The fight was postponed following the incident and will now be held later this month.
Iron Mike has revealed doctors found a two-and-a-half-inch ulcer in his stomach.
Tyson told Netflix: “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.”
The upcoming bout was immediately postponed after Tyson’s health scare, with doctors telling him to “take it slow exercise-wise.”
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A defiant Tyson continued: “I went to the hospital and they found I had an ulcer. It was two and a half inches, it was bleeding.
“All my friends were calling me like I was dying.
“I asked the doctor whether I was going to die and she didn’t say no. She said we have options though. That’s when I got nervous.
“I just wanted to get out of that f***ing hospital bed. I don’t want to die in a hospital bed. I want to die in the ring.”
Tyson and Paul are now due to fight at Dallas’ AT&T Stadium on November 15.
Texas Licensing Regulators will assess Iron Mike the day before the bout to check he is medically fit to fight as a pro.
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The fight – which is being streamed live on Netflix – could be downgraded from a professional bout to an exhibition depending on the result of Tyson’s scan.
And it could even be cancelled entirely if doctors are worried about the heavyweight icon’s well-being.
Tyson last stepped into the ring in an exhibition against Roy Jones Jr. in November 2020.
Mike Tyson's controversial comeback
Mike Tyson is BACK!
Yes, boxing’s youngest heavyweight champ of all time – just 20 when he achieved the feat – is preparing to lace them up again.
He faces YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul on July 20 in Texas.
The controversial clash – set for the 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium in Dallas – has been scrutinised over the 30-year age gap.
Tyson will be 58 by the time the fight for the ages comes around and nearly 20 years removed from his last professional contest.
He was last seen in the ring in November 2020 for an exhibition with fellow legend Roy Jones Jr, which ended a draw after eight rounds.
Paul is meanwhile 9-1 in the ring, losing only to Tommy Fury in 2023, and has won three times since.
His fight with Tyson will also be a landmark first on Netflix, with over 250MILLION subscribers able to watch the bout.
Before that, the former heavyweight’s last professional fight was a TKO loss to Kevin McBride in June 2005.
Nicknamed The Baddest Man on the Planet, Tyson is one of the most feared boxers of all time.
He reigned as the undisputed world heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990, before retaking the WBA crown in a remarkable comeback six years later.
Iron Mike won 50 of his 58 bouts, including 44 of those by way of knockout.