Mike Tyson ‘ready’ for postponed fight against Jake Paul after illness concerns – ‘Who can do it but me?’

Mike Tyson says he is “ready” for his fight against YouTuber Jake Paul, scheduled for November 15 in Arlington, Texas.

The 58-year-old returns from retirement for a highly anticipated fight against Paul, who has turned to professional boxing and holds a 10-1 record.

The fight was originally scheduled for July 20, but Tyson was forced to pull out of the bout because he reportedly had a stomach ulcer. The problem was first discovered when the veteran began to feel dizzy on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles.

The fight was therefore postponed and Paul quickly moved on to face bare-knuckle fighter Mike Perry in Tampa, Florida, which he won by sixth-round TKO.

Now Paul's attention is back on Tyson, with the big-money fight on the line again. And Tyson, the former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, has stressed he is ready to face an opponent 31 years younger than him.

“Hey, listen, I'm just ready,” Tyson said at the couple's press conference in New York.

“I had a little accident. I was sick, but I'm better. I feel good.”

Tyson's professional record is 50-6, with 44 knockouts, and this will be the second exhibition fight since his retirement in 2005, after fighting Roy Jones Jr. in 2020 – a fight that featured Jake Paul on the undercard against NBA player Nate Robinson.

When asked why he decided to face Paul, Tyson replied, pointing to the packed room full of fans and media, “Because I can. Who else can do it but me? Who else is he going to fight to do that?”

“We just have to hear the facts. We have a YouTuber fighting the greatest fighter of all time.”

Paul is convinced that the experience in the ring with “one of the greatest that ever lived” will help him in his future fights.

“Big moments, big pressure, big stages, one of the greatest that has ever existed, more experience than me, more fights than me,” said the 27-year-old.

“I'm going to learn a lot in this fight and in this training camp,” Paul said. “It will help me in my future fights and everything I want to achieve.”

The event's pre-fight will feature an exciting women's clash, with super lightweight champion Katie Taylor taking on Amanda Serrano in a repeat of her 2022 title fight, which Taylor won.

It was the first women's boxing match to be held as a main event at Madison Square Garden.