‘I almost died’… Mike Tyson breaks his silence with emotional message after Jake Paul defeat

Mike Tyson has opened up about the struggles he faced just as he made it through the night before his record-breaking ring return.

The legendary heavyweight champion faced Jake Paul on Friday night in Dallas and battled through to the final bell in a losing effort. But he considers reaching that point as a victory after a tumultuous training camp.

As recently as May, he was forced to reschedule their fight due to a flare-up of a stomach ulcer that caused him to vomit blood. And he claims he was near death at the height of his injury, which caused him to lose a whopping 25 pounds.

Mike Tyson lost his ring return to Jake Paul

Boxing icon Mike Tyson was a big underdog going into his fight with Paul on Friday night and flew out of the traps in an attempt to catch his young rival on the hop. However, it only took two laps before his gas tank was empty.

Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images

From that moment on, the 58-year-old went into survival mode, bobbing and weaving almost from muscle memory. For his part, Paul did not increase the pace, seemingly keen not to cause another incident such as Evander Holyfield's ill-fated comeback against Vitor Belfort.

The pair eventually went the distance of eight rounds, with Paul finishing the match by bowing to Tyson just before the bell. They hugged afterwards and shared a moment together, but overall fans felt they didn't get their money's worth from the headline clash.

Mike Tyson talks about Jake Paul's defeat in a long message

In the aftermath of the defeat, Tyson has taken to social media to express his thoughts for the first time since a brief interview with Ariel Helwani. At the time, he claimed he would be able to fight again, and while that isn't mentioned in his new statement, he noted the severity of his health issues.

This is one of those situations where you lost, but still won. I'm grateful for last night. No regrets about stepping into the ring one last time.

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

Nasty…

— Mike Tyson (@MikeTyson) November 16, 2024

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“This is one of those situations where you lost but still won,” Tyson wrote on X in a post that has been viewed more than 15 million times. 'I'm grateful for last night. No regrets about stepping into the ring one last time. I almost died in June. Had 8 blood transfusions.

“I lost half my blood and 25 pounds in the hospital and had to fight to get healthy to fight, so I won. For my kids to see me stand toe-to-toe and finish eight rounds with a talented fighter half my age, in front of a packed Dallas Cowboy Stadium, is an experience no one has the right to ask for. Thank you.”

Jake Paul claims he carried Mike Tyson in record-breaking fight

Almost immediately afterwards, Paul made it clear in the post-fight press conference that he felt he should protect Tyson in the ring, rather than looking for concussions. He noted that it might have been less of a spectacle, but he didn't want to hurt anyone in danger.

When asked if he had 'carried' Tyson, Paul replied: 'Yes, definitely. Certainly a little. I wanted to give the fans a show, but I didn't want to hurt anyone who didn't need to be hurt.”

He later added: “I tried to give the best fight I could, but when someone is just surviving in the ring, it's actually hard to make it exciting. So I couldn't really get him to engage me or take pictures and do something super cool or whatever.

“But I don't care what people have to say. They will always have something to say and that's what it is.

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