Mike Tyson insists he is back to ‘100 per cent’ following a medical scare – just weeks before his showdown with Jake Paul.
The 57-year-old became nauseous and dizzy on a recent flight, forcing airline staff to ask passengers if there was a doctor on board. Paramedics later boarded the plane to treat Tyson after it had touched down in Los Angeles.
The incident prompted fears over whether the July 20 fight would go ahead, but on Tuesday Tyson wrote on social media: ‘Now feeling 100% even though I don’t need to be to beat Jake Paul.’
The pair will be separated by 30 years by the time they meet in a controversial fight, broadcast on Netflix, on July 20 at the home of the Dallas Cowboys.
Tyson’s representatives had previously insisted the former heavyweight champion was ‘doing great’ after ‘an ulcer flare-up 30 minutes before landing.’
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‘He is appreciative to the medical staff that were there to help him,’ they told the New York Post.
Typical symptoms of an ulcer flare up include nausea and vomiting, bloating, belching and gas pain, as well as chest pain and fatigue.
Troubled boxer Ryan Garcia offered to step in for Tyson, should he be unable to take on YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul.
On Monday, however, Paul insisted ‘nothing’ had changed regarding the showdown. ‘You love to make s*** up before knowing the facts for clicks / likes,’ he said on social media.
According to eyewitnesses, cited by In Touch, the cabin crew ‘issued an announcement asking for a doctor 30 minutes before landing and the message even came on everyone’s screens.’
‘He was in first class, but we were an exit row,’ a witness said.
‘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.’
Once the plane landed at LAX, there was another delay of around 25 minutes while the paramedics treated Tyson.
Tyson, who has previously admitted he uses marijuana daily, has given the drug up while training to fight Paul because it is on the list of banned substances used by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.