Mike Tyson’s fight with Jake Paul is now set for 15 November after the former world heavyweight champion fell ill on a flight last month.
The fight was originally set for 20 July in Arlington, Texas, home to the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, and will be aired on Netflix.
Tyson became nauseous and dizzy during the final hour of a flight from Miami to Los Angeles. His plane was met by first responders, while Tyson’s camp attributed the episode to an ulcer problem and said he would need to do light training for several weeks.
Tyson turns 58 on 30 June.
“Although we had to postpone the fight, I will resume training shortly. I am thankful to the medical staff that treated me and to MVP, Netflix, and AT&T Stadium for working diligently to find the best reschedule date for all parties,” Tyson said in a statement released by Netflix. “While we have a new date, the result will be the same no matter when we fight. Jake Paul is getting knocked out.”
The postponement had also threatened the scheduled co-feature bout between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano for Taylor’s undisputed junior welterweight championship, an eagerly anticipated rematch of their epochal May 2022 fight at Madison Square Garden. Taylor won that fight by a razor-thin split decision.
Representatives for Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, which is promoting the card, had been mum about the status of the Taylor-Serrano fight, but confirmed on Friday it would also take place on 15 November.
The event was originally slated for a Saturday, but will be held on a Friday as the Cowboys prepare to host the Houston Texans on 18 November for Monday Night Football.
“Our team has worked diligently with all parties involved to reschedule this monumental fight to a date that ensures both Jake Paul and Mike Tyson are fully prepared, with equal training time, as well as allowing us to keep the event at AT&T stadium in the midst of the Cowboys season,” said Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions.
Tyson hasn’t fought professionally since June 2005, but he has been training regularly for several years. He fought Roy Jones Jr in an entertaining exhibition in Los Angeles in November 2020.
