Jake Paul beat Mike Tyson by unanimous decision (Image: Getty Images for Netflix A 2024)
has revealed he feared being sued if he withdrew from his fight with YouTuber-turned-boxer for a second time.
Tyson, who retired from boxing in 2005 after a defeat to Kevin McBride, shocked fans when he returned to the ring in 2020 for an exhibition match against Roy Jones Jr. His bout with Jones Jr sparked a desire to compete again, leading him to announce his return to professional boxing last year to face Paul.
The pair were originally scheduled to fight in July, but Tyson, 58, had to pull out due to an ulcer flare-up during a flight. They eventually fought in November after Tyson was medically cleared. However, on the night of the fight, Tyson’s age was evident as he was outscored and outperformed by his younger opponent. After the match, Tyson claimed he nearly died in the lead-up, leaving many wondering why he didn’t withdraw again.
In a recent interview with Fox Nation, Tyson explained his decision not to pull out: “I haven’t thought about that [if it weakened him]. I was worried about getting sued, you know, because I was like, God, they’re going to sue me if I don’t do this fight,” he said. “I had a bloody ulcer, like three inches. Kept bleeding and bleeding. And I had to have, what, 10 blood transfusions. Each time I do this, I was like the same doing Roy Jones as doing this one. My wife sees me screaming because my body is in so much pain. And I come home, I’m like, ah, ah. I promise I wouldn’t do this to myself.”
Fury told the New York Post last month, “I feel pretty good. I don’t know if I’m 100 per cent recovered, but I feel good.” He had previously confessed in December that he remembered very little of the fight. “I don’t remember the fight that much, I kind of blanked out,” he told Fox Sports Radio.
“I wasn’t tired, I wasn’t sweaty. 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. I haven’t watched the fight. 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.”