Mike Tyson ‘Doing Great’ After Medical Emergency on Flight Before Jake Paul Fight

Adam WellsMay 27, 2024

Cooper Neill/Getty Images for Netflix

Mike Tyson’s upcoming bout with Jake Paul could be in jeopardy after the former heavyweight champion suffered a medical emergency Sunday on a flight.

Per Ryan Glasspiegel and Matt Ehalt of the New York Post, Tyson’s representatives confirmed he is “doing great” after suffering an ulcer flare that caused him to become nauseous and dizzy shortly before landing on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles.

“Thankfully Mr. Tyson is doing great,” Tyson’s representatives said in an email. “He became nauseous and dizzy due to an ulcer flare up 30 minutes before landing. He is appreciative to the medical staff that were there to help him.”

Ryan Garcia, who is facing a possible suspension after a confirmed positive test for a performance-enhancing drug prior to his April 20 bout with Devin Haney, volunteered to take Tyson’s spot if he can’t go against Paul.

RYAN GARCIA @RyanGarciaIf Mike can’t fight I’ll sub in

In a post on X, Paul accused people of making stories up before saying “nothing changed.”

Jake Paul @jakepaulYou love to make shit up before knowing the facts for clicks / likes. Nothing changed #PaulTyson

Paul and Garcia have been trading barbs online for several weeks. King Ryan issued a challenge to Paul in a March 2 post on X (warning: contains strong language).

RYAN GARCIA @RyanGarciaOkay enough, it’s on I’m going to have to do this! I’m going to end this JAKE PAUL BOXING THING.

BRING IT ON JAKE IM DEAD FUCKING SERIOUS FUCK YOU! HIT MY TEAM UP

Paul responded shortly after that, telling reporters Garcia would be “light work” for him.

Katherine Schaffstall of In Touch first reported the news that Tyson suffered a “medical emergency” before paramedics arrived.

The flight was initially delayed by two hours due to a technical issue with the plane.

One eyewitness explained the situation from their point of view to Schaffstall:

“He was in first class, but we were an exit row. They asked us to stay on the plane and landed so paramedics could enter. [The stewardess] said something like, ‘He’s a really important passenger so we wanna make sure he’s OK.’ I knew it was him, but I just mouthed the words ‘Mike Tyson’ and she nodded her head yes.”

It’s unclear at this point how, if at all, this might impact Tyson’s ability to train or compete in the scheduled July 20 match against Paul.

The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations announced on April 29 the Tyson-Paul bout would be sanctioned as a professional fight.

Tyson’s last sanctioned bout was in June 2005 when he lost to Kevin McBride. The 57-year-old did have an exhibition contest against Roy Jones Jr. that ended in a draw on Nov. 28, 2020.

Paul and Tyson are scheduled to headline the show from AT&T Stadium. The semi-main event features undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor defending her crown against Amanda Serrano.