Boxing icon Mike Tyson is said to be “doing great” amid reports of an in-flight medical scare on Sunday.
Per those reports, the 57-year-old former heavyweight champion began feeling discomfort while flying from Miami to Los Angeles this past weekend, prompting airline staff to appeal to passengers with medical backgrounds to possibly assist the boxing star. Paramedics came aboard the plan after it landed in LA, delaying passengers from leaving the aircraft by around 25 minutes.
However, Tyson’s representatives moved quickly to ease concerns regarding Tyson’s health in a statement to the New York Post, saying that he became nauseous due to the flare-up of an ulcer.
“Thankfully Mr Tyson is doing great,” the statement said. “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.”
The statement also denied media reports that Tyson’s health had been the cause of a two-hour delay to the flight’s departure from Miami, saying that this was due to an air conditioning mishap and had nothing to do with the boxer.
The news has led to concerns for Tyson’s well-being ahead of his July professional boxing match against Jake Paul; though the former YouTube star moved quickly to ease concerns that the fight may be in jeopardy, tweeting: “You love to make shit up before knowing the facts for clicks / likes. Nothing changed.”
Tyson will take on Paul on July 20 in the Dallas Cowboys stadium (or AT&T Stadium) in Arlington, Texas on July 20. Also confirmed for the card is a keenly-anticipated rematch between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano, as well as the professional boxing debut of former UFC world title challenger Darren Till, who will fight the former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.