Mike Tyson detailed a crimson mess in an airplane bathroom during his medical emergency on May 27 during a cross-country flight.
Tyson, who was set to fight Jake Paul on July 20, had his fight postponed to Nov. 15 due to an ulcer flare-up, which he detailed in a Netflix documentary, “Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson.”
“Coming here from Miami on the plane, I went to the bathroom, and I threw up blood. Next thing I know I’m on the floor and I was defecating tar,” Tyson said. “So I came (to the hospital), they said I had a big ulcer, two and a half inches, it was bleeding. All my friends were calling me like I’m dying.”
Prior to the medical emergency, Tyson posted sprinting videos in April but seemed to struggle while doing so, which concerned many onlookers.
A month later he had medical concerns, Tyson explained.
“A week and a half ago, I was training, and I was doing great, and then all of a sudden, I started feeling tired,” Tyson said in the documentary regarding how he was feeling prior to the flight. “And I was explaining to my trainer, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
Tyson explained that the aftermath of the injury resulted in him losing 26 pounds, a big concern for the legendary boxer, who will likely have a size disadvantage when he fights Paul in November.
Paul stands at 6-foot-1 with a 76-inch reach and will likely weigh upwards of 220 lbs. on fight night.
In his heyday, Tyson weighed 218 pounds while standing at 5-foot-11 with a 71-inch reach.
The 58-year-old said that while he lost weight thanks to the stomach ulcer, he returned to full training by the end of the summer.
“God, I want to fight and start training,” Tyson said in his hospital room. “I don’t want to die in a hospital bedroom, I want to die in the ring.”
Tyson was last seen in a boxing ring during a 2020 exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr., although his fight with Paul will be professionally sanctioned and will count against their records.
He last fought Kevin McBride in 2005, where he quit on the stool and promptly retired from the sport.
