Mike Tyson may have lost against a social influencer who is half his age, but he has no regrets.
After Tyson’s defeat on Friday against Jake Paul, 27, viewers worldwide were shocked. Paul and Tyson went eight full rounds in the ring, with each round lasting two minutes. The influencer was hailed as the winner through a unanimous decision and the two opponents hugged it out after the match.
The highly-anticipated fight garnered over 72,300 fans at the event with an additional 60 million households tuning in online, according to Netflix.
One day after this defeat, Tyson, known as ‘Iron Mike,’ broke his silence on social media. In an Instagram post with black-and-white pictures of himself from the night of the match, the American boxer wrote, “This is one of those situations when you lost but still won. I’m grateful for last night,” before adding that he has “no regrets to get in ring one last time.”
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Tyson, nicknamed ‘Kid Dynamite’ during his prime, further revealed the health scare he faced this June. He wrote, “I almost died in June. Had 8 blood transfusions,” before adding that he “lost half my blood and 25lbs in hospital and had to fight to get healthy to fight so I won.”
This life-threatening scare is related to his ulcer that made him cough up blood on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles in May, according to Live Mint. This forced the organizers to postpone the match with Paul which was initially scheduled in July.
Despite his loss, Tyson was proud of himself for playing all eight rounds in the boxing ring. He wrote in the caption, “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.”
Tyson posted the same statement on his X account, where Paul commented, “Love you Mike. It was an honor. You’re an inspiration to us all.”
In contrast to this sweet reply, Paul seemed fiercely competitive before the match telling ESPN reporters that there were “no feelings attached” to Tyson when he was inside the ring.
He said that his “own mother should be very careful if she has to get in the ring with me.” He further added, “When it’s over, it’s over. But while the process is going on, my intention is to hurt him. I hope he has the same intentions or he is in trouble.”