“I almost died,” confessed 58-year-old Mike Tyson on November 16, hours after perhaps the most controversial fight of 2024, talking about a health scare from earlier this year. Tyson’s chances looked slim at best, for he was not just fighting old age but also a boxer who was 31 years younger than him and in his prime. So, despite people hoping for a miracle, Jake Paul overturned popular opinion to claim a victory. Yes, Tyson fought valiantly—he held out for eight rounds to go down 80-72, 79-73, 79-73. But the repercussions were far and wide; not just on the boxing community, but supposedly on The Baddest Man on the Planet’s health, too.

But before we get to that, a concerning stat surfaced soon after the bout: As per CompuBox, Paul had reportedly landed 78 of 278 total punches and connected on 31 of 179 jabs at the event held at Texas’ AT & T Stadium. Paul, on the other hand, was far behind, with 18 of his 97 total punches landed, and connecting five of 62 jabs.

So, the former heavyweight world champion had just one thing to say to his wife the morning after the defeat: “Why did I do that?” Good question, Iron Mike. For starters, he was in the boxing ring after 19 years, having lost a 2005 bout to Kevin McBride. Secondly, months before the Paul encounter, the veteran was already battling severe health issues.

We’re talking about a two-and-a-half inch of bleeding ulcer, that reportedly made Tyson throw up blood on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles on May 26. “The next thing I know I’m on the floor…I asked the doctor, ‘Am I going to die?’ And she didn’t say no. She said we have options, though. That’s when I got nervous.”

Now add to that his most recent confession, and you’d know why the fight might have been a bad idea. Appearing on the Covino & Rich Show for Fox Sports Radio on December 9, the host asked Tyson, “So we got to talk about the fight…What do you have to say to all the critics who said you held back on punches? There was a lot of viral clips. What do you have to say to the critics that brought that up?”

The fighter’s revelation to this question sure turned a lot of heads. “I don’t know. I don’t remember the fight that much. I kind of blanked out a little,” he confessed.

Steve Covino: “Clips go viral. A lot of casual fans speculating there’s a few clips where like you’re holding back a right-hand punch, in my opinion as a fan, to not be exposed. So that you don’t get hit. Is that what was happening in that clip or you don’t even know?”

Mike Tyson (in a lighthearted tone): “I remember coming back from the first round. And then the next day, I remember Jake doing some kind of little bow at the end. That’s the last thing I remember…I was not tired. I wasn’t sweaty. I went to the house that we stayed in. I left the house. Me and my wife, my kids then we went to the Afterparty. Then we came back.”

Steve Covino: “What did you think of Jake’s power when you were in there?”

Mike Tyson: “I don’t remember it. But my body was really sore (after the fight). My chest, my stomach was really sore.” However, as per he confessed later in the interview, the fight was also a way for him to relive his prime: “That fight was such a big ascend. We were so up and high, we were so excited. The fight’s over. Boom! I’m kind of depressed a little bit, you know. We got to get back to living. We trained for it [for] 9 months.”

Are these revelations something we should be concerned about? Well, we can’t say for sure. But as per some medical experts, Mike might be at risk of suffering life-changing consequences. Dr Neil Scott, a chief medical officer of the British Boxing Board of Control, told BoxingNews last month, “[Cerebral atrophy means] there is more space within your head, within your skull, for your brain to move. It means it’s more susceptible, whether that be to the linear, straight back and forward trauma or the rotational shearing forces.”

“It’s those kinds of forces, with having more space in the skull for the brain to move around, that are the concern. At the end of the day, the risk factors for Mike Tyson are much higher than they are for Jake Paul,” he concluded.

So, as expected, Tyson’s recent statements garnered the community’s attention, and soon ended up on the r/boxing subreddit. It gripped the fans, as they then turned to the comment sections of the post to express their candid opinions on the same.

‘Iron Mike’ and his old-age dilemma

One fan took a sarcastic dig. They declared, “Don’t worry Mike you didn’t miss anything.” The former world champion could only land 19 punches throughout the eight rounds of the fight, and he failed to maintain the fight’s pace. Besides, he entered the fight wearing a knee guard, which could have affected his mobility.

A user hoped Tyson would stick to doing podcasts from now on. They stated, “I’m just hoping he sticks to podcasting from here on out.” When asked in the post-fight interview, the Brooklyn native had refused to draw curtains on his boxing career and left the fans guessing about his boxing career. Notably, he even challenged Paul’s brother Logan. Is that fight happening? We don’t know. But clearly fans don’t want it.

Someone even took a dig at the huge payday. They wrote, “It’s called old age because that was not a high level fight or sparring session for him to forget or he was high af..🤷🏽‍♂️.” For the unversed, Mike Tyson reportedly took home a massive $20 million for the fight, as opposed to Paul, who earned $40 million.

A comment recalled Netflix’s streaming issues. The comment read, “Dont remember sh-t either, was buffering.” Who can forget the Netflix controversy? The streaming giant suffered major buffering issues throughout the event, with many spectators also complaining of reduced screen quality. Sports commentator Skip Bayless tweeted, “I’ve been having streaming issues during live action on Netflix — and I’m dreading freezing and buffering during Paul-Tyson. I guess servers just don’t have the bandwidth for the worldwide magnitude of this.”

Netflix later reacted to the issue, but didn’t provide any explanation for the same. They took to X to write on November 16, “60 million households around the world tuned in live to watch Paul vs. Tyson! The boxing mega-event dominated social media, shattered records, and even had our buffering systems on the ropes.”

Lastly, a fan also reminded Tyson of his low activity and his glove-chewing habit. They commented, “Mike, that’s because nothing actually happened. Unless you count the glove chewing.” In the post-fight interview, ‘Baddest Man on Planet’ revealed chewing gloves was his old habit to curb his biting sensation.

The bout, marked by subdued action and post-fight controversies, has drawn mixed reactions from fans, ranging from humor to genuine concern. As Tyson’s future in boxing remains uncertain, his confession highlights the delicate balance between legacy and the risks of continuing in a grueling sport past a certain age.

What do you make of this confession by Mike Tyson about the Jake Paul fight? Let us know in the comments below.