Mike Tyson evoked concerns in the boxing community when he recently suffered a medical scare on a flight. Much has been said and talked about the former heavyweight champion’s deteriorating health, as he faces the uphill battle of meeting Jake Paul inside the squared circle on July 20. However, if Chael Sonnen is to be believed, there is more to be unearthed.

Tyson, 57, fell victim to an ulcer flare-up, which made him dizzy and nauseous. The situation soon turned into a medical emergency on the flight from Miami to Los Angeles. This resulted in fans calling for the fight with ‘The Problem Child’ to be called off on the grounds of Tyson’s health concerns. But Sonnen, 47, believes the fans, who wanted ‘Iron Mike’ to call it quits, were themselves looking for a way out. He said, “When you say that Mike shouldn’t be able to fight, you’re not actually talking about Mike.”

Sonnen then expressed on his YouTube channel that he wanted to make the fans aware of the situation. He theorized that Netflix, Tyson, and Paul, all three, had their own agendas. But as a fighter, Tyson, at 50-6, would not have given up, irrespective of his worsening health condition. The former UFC fighter continued, “Netflix has its own agenda. Mike Tyson has his own agenda, and Jake Paul has his own agenda.”

“In this, today is the truth, which is a very scary situation for Mike, who is a fighter. And like all other times, he’s going to stand up when it’d be easier to sit down. And the truth, which is told by Jake is ‘If you [Mike Tyson] couldn’t handle the turbulence on the airplane, wait until I put my right hand on your face’. No apologies. No coverups,” Sonnen added.

According to the former UFC champ, Netflix and Jake Paul are trying to downplay Tyson’s recent health scare so as to avoid the bad press the event is generating. Sonnen is criticizing Jake Paul’s social media post following the incident, suggesting that it is trivializing the seriousness of Tyson’s condition by framing it as a minor inconvenience. In essence, Sonnen is arguing that Paul and Netflix are trying to downplay the situation to ensure the fight goes ahead.

The Oregon native then drifted to visuals of Tyson in a wheelchair, which made rounds soon after the news of his critical health condition made waves on the internet. He speculated that there were more clips and images of Tyson in a similar state. Lastly, Sonnen cautioned the fans to keep their “heads up.” While the former American MMA fighter has dropped a subtle hint of something fishy behind the scenes, Paul has issued a clarification on those troublesome Tyson-on-wheelchair images.

Jake Paul clears the air on Mike Tyson’s wheelchair images

Paul, 27, lashed out at the duo of KSI and Dillion Danis when the two circulated the same images on their social media handles. The influencer-turned-prizefighter disclosed that those visuals were two years old. He declared, “They both posted a two-year-old picture of Mike Tyson to mislead their audience referring to Tyson’s health.”

Notably, Tyson’s team had also released an official statement, laying fans’ worries to rest. But Tyson has struggled with sciatica in the past and most recently had issues with his hips too. Moreover, he would be 58 when exchanging punches with a 30-year younger opponent in the ring. Therefore, the apprehensions about the Brooklyn native’s health are justifiable, given his recent health record. But it remains to be seen how much his body can take the vagaries of a pro-fight.

What do you make of these comments by Chael Sonnen? Do you think Mike Tyson should drop the ball against Jake Paul? Let us know in the comments below.