Mike Tyson, 58, faces risks beyond losing to Jake Paul

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ARLINGTON, Texas – Mike Tyson will fight a man not even half his age on Friday. While there are risks every time a boxer steps into the ring, experts have weighed in on how Tyson’s age could play a factor in much anticipated Netflix battle.

At 58, the former world heavyweight champion will become one of the oldest boxers to compete in a sanctioned professional bout. Not to mention he’ll be boxing against a man less than half his age – 27-year-old Jake Paul.

“You’re only as old as you feel,” Tyson has said, trying to dismiss the problem.

But on May 26, he suffered what his representatives called an “ulcer flare-up” during a flight from Miami to Los Angeles. It required medical attention, a trip to the hospital and led to the fight being postponed for four months. And the chorus of concern about health risks Tyson could face grows even louder as the heavyweight bout to be held at AT&T Stadium approaches.

Stephen Hughes, senior lecturer in medicine at Anglia Riskin University in England, was one of the first to raise the issue.

Citing Tyson’s age and past alcohol abuse as risk factors, Hughes wrote in an article published by “The Conversation” in May that head trauma would put the boxer at greater risk of suffering a subdural hematoma, which is potentially fatal.

A subdural hematoma occurs “when a blood vessel near the surface of the brain ruptures,” according to Harvard Health, which also reports that a subdural hematoma is a “life-threatening problem because it can compress the brain.”

Addressing additional risks to Tyson, Hughes referred to the late Muhammad Ali. The legendary boxer suffered for many years from Parkinson’s disease, which is widely believed to have been linked to the head trauma suffered by Ali during his illustrious career.

“In some cases, a condition similar to Parkinson’s disease can result from the loss of neurons in a part of the brain called the substantia nigra,” Hughes wrote. “Muhammad Ali may have suffered from this, but it has never been confirmed.”

Age and the ability to react quickly to blows

Damon Zavala, vice president of the Association of Ringside Physicians, said he believes a subdural hematoma is a risk for boxers of any age.

But with Tyson, Zavala said, “The problem is that his reflexes and his ability to react and get out of the way of punches have diminished over the years. So while he still has his own power, he’s still going to be at a greater risk of getting hit because of of the fact that he won’t be able to get out of the way of punches.”

At 58, Evander Holyfield looked chiseled when he stepped into the ring in 2021 for a fight against Vitor Belfort, a 44-year-old martial arts fighter. Holyfield, the former heavyweight champion who beat Tyson twice, was knocked out in the first round.

Zavala said George Foreman talked about having slower reflexes when he came out of retirement in his mid-40s.

“He says he would think about hitting a shot, but it would take some time for that to actually happen,” said Zavala, who is trained in internal medicine. “So the reflexes, both defensively and offensively, are not the same.”

Despite that, Foreman won the World Heavyweight Championship in 1995 at the age of 45 when he knocked out Michael Moorer, then 26.

John Neidecker, former president of the Association of Ringside Physicians, said he believes concerns related to Tyson’s health are muted among ringside doctors because of skepticism surrounding the fight. He also said he sees Paul as an entertainer as much as a boxer, and as a result is reluctant to deal with health risks.

“There’s just a lot of stuff going on here that I think is why a lot of people don’t really like to shout from the rooftops that this fight shouldn’t happen with a 58-year-old guy,” he said.

Mike Tyson had additional medical tests before the fight

The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation oversees combat sports in the state, and fighters age 36 or older are subject to additional medical examination.

As a fighter over the age of 36, Tyson was required to submit favorable EEG and EKG results as part of his application, according to Tela Mange. He did that in May, Mange said.

TDLR said Thursday that Tyson passed a pre-fight physical earlier in the day. In a statement, TDLR added: “The safety of the contestants competing in the ring or cage is always the primary concern of TDLR staff. This competition is no different.”

Boxing promoter Lou DiBella was angered by the TDLR’s decision to sanction a pro fight for a 58-year-old.

“A regular guy has to go through hoops to get licensed to fight in a lot of states when he’s 40 years old,” DiBella said. “How in the state of Texas is a 58-year-old man licensed to fight a professional prizefight?”

TDLR declined to comment further on the issue of sanctioning the fight.

In 2018, Jack Lucious was 64 years old when he fought a sanctioned professional bout in Texas, according to BoxRec, the sport’s official record. Lucious lost by TKO in the first round of a scheduled four-round welterweight bout.

Bryce Holden, the fight promoter, requested a sanctioned fight instead of an exhibition. But the rules of the match are more often used for exhibitions.

At the promoter’s request, TDLR agreed to two-minute rounds rather than the usual three-minute rounds, widely considered a concession to Tyson’s age. TDLR also agreed to use 14-ounce gloves instead of the standard 10-ounce gloves.

“It will take the sting out a little bit,” Nico Ali Walsh, a grandson of Muhammad Ali and a professional boxer, said of the heavier gloves. “And I think the glove size is there just as a precaution, because Mike is older than people who fight professionally. He shouldn’t be fighting in professional gloves.

“I don’t think any sanctioning body would allow the fight with Mike if it was 10-ounce gloves and three-minute rounds.”

Mike Tyson’s past health problems

When talking about age, Tyson is fond of referring to Julius Caesar. He points out that before the Julian calendar was named after Caesar, age was not marked as it is today.

In other words, then Tyson would have no age.

But the stomach ulcer served as evidence of health problems.

“I went to the bathroom and I threw up blood,” Tyson told Netflix for a documentary series leading up to the fight. “Next thing I know I’m on the floor.” The source of the trauma was a 2½-inch bleeding wound, according to Tyson, who conducted the interview from a hospital room.

Health problems are nothing new for Tyson in recent years. In August 2022, he was seen at Miami International Airport in a wheelchair. Tyson said he had crippling back pain from sciatica and later underwent a surgical procedure that eliminated the pain.

While preparing for the Paul fight, Tyson once remarked that he had trouble walking due to his rigorous training.

Safety didn’t seem to be an issue when, with the cameras rolling, he told Netflix about his fight with Paul, “If I do it bad, I don’t want to die in a hospital bed, I want to die in the ring.”

Follow Josh Peter on social media @joshlpeter11

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