Mike Tyson’s trainer has dismissed concerns about the boxing legend’s health before his fight with Jake Paul.
The former heavyweight champion will come out of retirement to face the YouTuber-turned-fighter on 20 July at the AT&T Stadium in Texas.
Tyson will be 58 when he steps into the ring that night with 30 years separating the two men. The fighter once known as ‘the baddest man on the planet’ retired from boxing almost 20 years ago, hanging up his gloves in 2005 after losing three of his last four fights.
Tyson returned to the ring in November 2020 for an exhibition bout with fellow ring legend Roy Jones Jr, a bout that ended in a draw where knockouts were not allowed.
The organizers of the July fight against Paul hope to have it approved as a professional boxing match rather than an exhibition, with no protective headgear to be worn by either man.
Tyson, who has previously struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction, has been cautioned by doctors that he could face brain damage if he returns to the ring.
Earlier this year in troubling footage, Tyson was also seen walking with a cane and was also pictured in a wheelchair in 2022 having occasionally struggling with his sciatica that can leave him ‘unable to talk’.
Rafael Cordeiro has been working with Tyson in the lead-up to the Paul fight, the man holding the pads in intense training sessions which the former champion has shared on social media over the last week.
Speaking on the MMA Hour, he tried to alleviate any concerns about Tyson.
‘I believe we don’t have to be worried about it. We’re talking about a two-time world champion,’ he said.
‘The guy didn’t have 20 fights in two years, he knows how to fight. He’s fought against the best guys in the world. When he steps inside the ring he knows what to do. It’s not something new for Mike, and this fight is no different.
‘He works hard every single day to go in there and try to knock Jake out from the beginning to the end. This is his style, nobody has teach Mike Tyson how to fight. He’s going to prove that in July.
‘You can see fire in his eyes when he trains, and he will never give less than that. I truly believe it is going to be a great show. Mike is going to step into the ring as the old Mike Tyson, and he’s going to try and knock out Jake from the beginning to the end.’
‘He’s already in shape and we’ve started doing rounds. It’s amazing to see him hitting mitts, Mike is a monster. I can guarantee Mike will touch Jake and lets see how Jake reacts to that. With all due respect, he’s a good kid… but he hasn’t faced anyone who is a legend in the sport. We are talking about one of the most popular people in the world.’
Doctor Stephen Hughes, a senior lecturer in medicine at Anglia Ruskin University, outlined some of the concerns he has for Tyson fighting at this stage of his life.
He wrote: ‘A subdural haematoma can occur. In this condition, shearing forces cause tearing of bridging veins between the brain and blood vessels within the brain coverings, or meninges. Bleeding from these torn veins causes a collection of blood that presses on the brain. This causes confusion, loss of consciousness, neurological disability and, in some cases, death.’
