Mike Tyson won one fight by just being able to step into the ring against Jake Paul on Friday night.
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The boxing legend revealed that his health scare in June which postponed the matchup from its original date in July was more significant than anyone ever let on — much more serious, in fact.
In a post on X on Saturday afternoon, Tyson wrote that he “almost died as the result of his ulcer flare-up, which occurred on a cross-country flight.
He also said that he “lost half my blood and 25 (pounds)” while in hospital after the medical emergency.
“This is one of those situations when you lost but still won,” he began his post on X, less than 24 hours after his main-event fight against Paul.
“I’m grateful for last night. No regrets to get in ring one last time.
“I almost died in June. Had 8 blood transfusions. Lost half my blood and 25 lbs in hospital and had to fight to get healthy to fight so I won.”
He concluded the post by saying how grateful he was to face the YouTuber-turned-boxer at AT&T Stadium.
“To have my children see me stand toe to toe and finish 8 rounds with a talented fighter half my age in front of a packed Dallas Cowboy stadium is an experience that no man has the right to ask for. Thank you,” he wrote.
Paul replied to the post with kind words for the man he defeated via unanimous decision.
“Love you Mike. It was an honor. You’re an inspiration to us all,” he wrote.
Paul was actually more worse for wear coming into the fight than anyone knew, too.
During the post-fight press conference, he revealed that he suffered a sprained ankle and torn ligament just three weeks before the match.
‘Two weeks ago I sprained my ankle, completely tore the ligament, anterior ligament and like snapped the other side of my foot,” Paul told the assembled media.
He added that he “was on crutches for four or five days and it just hindered the end of my training camp.”
The social media star also said he was shocked that the injury wasn’t divulged to the press.
“I don’t know how it didn’t get leaked or anything. I missed about two weeks of sparring and that’s why my cardio didn’t really feel so good tonight.”
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