Mike Tyson issued a health update immediately after his unanimous decision defeat to Jake Paul on Friday night.
Almost two decades after retiring from professional boxing, the former two-time world heavyweight champion returned to the ring to face the crossover YouTube star in a blockbuster event streamed live on Netflix.
Paul eased to an 80-72, 79-73, 79-73 decision on the judges’ scorecards on a difficult watch despite all the hype.
Tyson landed only 18 punches inside the AT&T Stadium, a perhaps predictable outcome for a 58-year-old man who looked past his best way before his retirement in 2005.
Speaking in the ring after the defeat, Tyson confirmed he had carried a knee injury into the fight.
“Yeah, but I can't use that as an excuse,” he replied when asked of a potential knee problem.
“If I did, I wouldn't be in here.”
Few would doubt Tyson’s in-ring legacy and losing to Paul in what is generally considered to be little more than an exhibition bout is unlikely to damage that.
Quite what the victory does for Paul’s career is up for debate, too. Little can be taken away from beating a man approaching sixty who was arguably 35-years past his absolute peak but any fight ‘The Problem Child’ takes is likely to generate a huge amount of interest.
After the event, Paul said: “What do people say? I told everyone what I was going to do, I was going to give him a boxing lesson.”
