One month after Mike Tyson originally was scheduled for a return to the boxing ring in a bout against Jake Paul, the former heavyweight champion said he is “ready” to fight again.
Tyson and Paul are now scheduled for a Nov. 15 bout at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys. Their original July 20 bout was postponed after the 58-year-old Tyson had a health scare during a cross-country flight in May.
With an ulcer issue that caused nausea and dizziness behind him, Tyson is ready to face Paul in a fight that will air on Netflix. Tyson’s last professional bout was in June of 2005. He most recently fought in an exhibition in November of 2020.
“I had a small adversity. I got sick, but I’m better,” Tyson said from a press conference in New York. “I feel good.”
Tyson resumed training for the fight around the start of August.
“Hey, listen, I’m just ready,” Tyson said.
Tyson was 50-6 with 44 knockouts during a celebrated boxing career when he was the undisputed heavyweight champion from 1987-90. He began his boxing career 19-0, winning each bout by knockout. A total of 12 of those knockouts came in the first round.
Paul, a YouTube personality who turned to boxing in 2018, is 10-1 as a fighter. The 27-year-old has seven knockouts.
“Big moments, big pressure, big stages, one of the greatest to ever do it, more experience than me, more fights than me, I’m going to learn a lot in this fight and through this training camp,” Paul said. “So, this is helping me in my future fights and everything that I want to accomplish.”
The Tyson-Paul bout will consist of eight two-minute rounds, instead of the regulation three-minute rounds. Also, each fighter will use 14-ounce gloves instead of the standard 10 ounces to limit punching power.
–Field Level Media