Mike Tyson revealed he nearly died in June after falling ill, adding to the mystery why he was allowed to fight Jake Paul in a controversial return to the ring. The world was captivated when Tyson announced he would make a comeback in the ring at age 58 after signing up to fight YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul.

The original fight, scheduled for June, was canceled due to Tyson’s illness and the fight went ahead this weekend with Paul winning an “embarrassing” spectacle against a very slow and struggling Tyson. While many thought Tyson would be too strong for Paul, the former heavyweight champion slowed down considerably after the second round and only threw a handful of punches to finish the fight.

Paul tried to show his respect for Tyson with seconds left after pulling away his punches in order to avoid hurting the older opponent. Although the crowd was not happy with the event, boos rang out throughout the arena.

Tyson cut an exhausted figure after the fight after admitting he had not returned to the ring to prove anything to anyone. Although he took to social media after the fight and claimed he almost died in June after falling ill, leading to the first fight being canceled.

“It’s one of those situations where you lost but still won,” he wrote on Platform almost died in June.

“I almost died in June. I had 8 blood transfusions. I lost half my blood and 25 pounds in the hospital and had to fight to get healthy again, so I won .”

“Seeing my kids see me face to face and finish 8 rounds with a talented fighter half my age in front of a packed Dallas Cowboys stadium is an experience no man has the right to ask for.”

Jake Paul criticized for ugly boxing scenes

While Tyson showed resilience in the ring against a 27-year-old fighter, his latest revelation raises the question of why the fight even happened. Before the fight, promoters Eddie Heard and Frank Warren blasted the show and said Tyson should not fight.

And while Paul claimed he didn’t want to knock Tyson out, fans were disappointed by the performance and questioned how Tyson was allowed to take punches to the head at 58 years old. Arguably the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world right now, Terence Crawford, criticized his performance and didn’t hold back.

Crawford claimed Tyson looked like “trash” in the ring, but he was happy the former heavyweight champion wasn’t hurt by his opponent. Others agreed the fight was a “sad watch”, with many wondering why Paul wanted to fight a much older man. The boos echoing around the arena said it all with another bizarre boxing spectacle that only damaged the sport’s reputation.

Before the fight even happened, there were question marks as to why this was happening. British promoter Hearn was blunt when asked about the fight and said Tyson should not step into the ring at 58 years old.

“Twenty years ago, Mike Tyson retired from boxing and was shot, right? I mean, completely dejected,” Hearn said this week before the fight. “If anyone thinks Mike Tyson should be in a ring at that age, you either have absolutely no emotional feelings towards the man or you are an idiot. This shouldn’t happen.

And he wasn’t the only one to criticize the fight. Rival promoter Warren agreed with Hearn. “Mike Tyson is 58 years old and he shouldn’t be fighting,” Warren said a few months ago after the fight was officially announced. “It’s that simple.

“Anyone with an ounce of intelligence knows this is ridiculous. You can be on a highway stuck in a traffic jam and get to the end of the journey and it’s just people who stopped to watch an accident – ​​and that’s what it’s about.”