Boxing icon Mike Tyson is set to undergo urgent medical checks prior to his highly-anticipated battle against YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul, following a medical scare earlier in the year.
The legendary heavyweight, Tyson, has announced he'll come out of retirement for a showdown with the internet sensation Paul this coming November, despite having to postpone their initial fight date after Tyson suffered an ulcer flare-up.
The last time Tyson stepped into the ring was for an uneventful exhibition match with Roy Jones Jr four years agoending in a drawwith his final professional bout seeing him retire after five rounds against Kevin McBride back in 2020.
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The encounter with Paul has been officially recognised as a professional contest, although it could be demoted to an exhibition should Tyson fail his forthcoming medical assessments. Worse still, the entire event faces cancellation if the 58 year old's condition fails to convince the authorities.
Ahead of the fight, Tela Mange, Communications Manager for the Texas Department of License and Regulation, told World Boxing News: "TDLR is aware of media reports regarding an episode involving Mr. Tyson. At present, Mr. Tyson and Mr. Paul have met the medical requirements for this event," He added, "Before the event, TDLR will conduct pre-fight physicals to ensure the health of both fighters."
Set to duke it out over eight two-minute rounds, deviating from the usual three-minute format, Tyson and Paul will also don heavier 14oz gloves as opposed to the traditional 10oz. Regardless of these modifications, both combatants are expressing supreme confidence in scoring knockout wins, reports the Mirror.
Tyson has confidently declared his readiness to take down Jake Paul, stating: "I'm very prepared to knock out Jake Paul. I'm very prepared. I had a small adversity. I got sick, but I feel good. I'm just ready. I'm just ready.
"I'm going to do my talk and I'm going to talk my s***, but I'm ready to fight. I'm beautiful and I've been back to training for a while, like two weeks, three weeks... I'm in camp. As soon as I catch this guy, it's over. Jake Paul is going to be running around the ring, but as soon as I catch this guy, it's going to be totally over. I'm going to f*** him up."
In response, Jake Paul didn't hold back, retorting: "He's saying that it's going to be my funeral. He's saying it's going to be my wake. He's going to kill Jake Paul. All of these things, and that's why I love Mike. I respect him, but we're not friends anymore until November 15.
"I'm knocking this motherf***** out and we're going to see who's dead. Mike is the one that wanted it to be a pro fight, so he's going to get his a** knocked out. You're going to see on BoxRec, Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson. Jake Paul KOs Mike Tyson."
