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Boxing Hall of Famer Mike Tyson reportedly suffered a serious medical scare during a cross country flight from Miami to Los Angeles on Sunday (May 26), ahead of his Netflix boxing match against social media influencer Jake Paul.
“Thankfully Mr. Tyson is doing great,” Tyson’s representatives confirmed in an email to the New York Post. “He became nauseous and dizzy due to an ulcer flare up 30 minutes before landing. He is appreciative to the medical staff that were there to help him.”
Tyson, 57, was initially reported to have suffered an "apparent medical scare" by In Touch Weekly.
“Mike had some kind of medical emergency on the plane and paramedics boarded,” a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to the outlet. “Before the paramedics arrived the flight issued an announcement asking for a doctor — the message even came on everyone’s screens.“
Tyson's flight was reportedly delayed two hours in Miami, which his representatives confirmed was not due to the medical incident, rather an air conditioning issue. Passengers heard an announcement asking for medical professionals about 30 minutes before the plane landed in Los Angeles, In Touch Weekly reported.
Passengers were delayed 25 minutes from leaving the plane due to the medical scare.
“He was in first class, but we were in an exit row and the stewardess was very chatty. They asked us to stay on the plane and landed so paramedics could enter,” the source told In Touch Weekly. “She said something like, ‘He’s a really important passenger so we wanna make sure he’s OK.’ I knew it was him, but I just mouthed the words ‘Mike Tyson’ and she nodded her head yes.”
Tyson, who turns 58 next month, is scheduled to face Paul, 27, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on July 20.
Tyson, 57, the youngest boxer to ever win a heavyweight title and one of the most dominant ever in the weight class, went 50-6-2 (44 KO) in 58 career professional fights, with his last coming in a forfeit loss to Kevin McBride in 2005.
Paul has a 9-1 record in 10 professional boxing matches, which included a first-round TKO against Ryan Bourland on March 2. The Paul-Tyson match will mark Netflix's first live venture into combat sports and its third live sporting event overall, having been made possible through a deal with Paul's Most Valuable Promotions, according to MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian.