Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson labeled a “sham” by ex-UFC champ after medical scare
Associated PressJake Paul vs Mike Tyson has been slammed as a “sham” and should not go ahead after Tyson’s well documented health scare.
That is the scathing view of former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping who has labeled Paul, who boasts a 9-1 record, “embarrassing” for “cherry picking” Tyson, 57, as his next opponent.
Paul will face Tyson at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday, July 20, but the fight has faced much criticism, with “Iron Mike” more than 30 years his senior.
In his prime, Tyson was one of the most ferocious world heavyweight champions in the history of the sport. But the fight has drawn ire from the boxing public, given Tyson has not fought professionally since 2005.
Detractors of the fight were only encouraged earlier this week after Tyson took ill on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles on Sunday evening.
A mouth ulcer cause Tyson to go dizzy and paramedics were required to treat Tyson once the plane landed at LAX.
Tyson has since confirmed the fight with Paul will go ahead but Bisping feels it is “not a great look” just weeks before the two men meet in the ring.
“Mike Tyson was involved in a medical emergency,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel.
“Paramedics had to be rushed onto the plane, the doctors had to come on to take Mike Tyson off the plane: It’s not a good look. This is not good press when you are trying to promote a fight when you are 58 years old. This is just a great example of why a fight like this should not be going ahead.
“Now listen, maybe it was an ulcer flare-up, I don’t know anything about ulcers, but what I do know is that the man is going to be 58 years old – a man in the prime of his life doesn’t have a problem sitting on a plane for a few hours.
“I’m not talking s**t about Mike Tyson, he wants to test the waters, he wants to make some money and feel alive, and he wants to do what he does best.
“But that time has passed, that ship has sailed, that plane has left the runway – but not for a while because it was hot on the plane and then Mike Tyson got an ulcer flare-up.
“I think the man is pushing 60 and he’s got some medical problems; maybe he just had a bit of food poisoning or had some food that just didn’t agree with him, but what we do know is that he was carted off the plan by paramedics and they did ask for medical assistance. That’s not a good look.
“Jake Paul’s in the prime of his life and he’s just cherry-picking another opponent to bolster his resume to make himself look good – it’s absolutely embarrassing, it’s a shame, it’s a sham, it’s utter horses**t.”
Fighters are already queuing up to replace Tyson, should he not be fit enough to take to the ring. Ryan Garcia has offered to step in for “Iron Mike”, while UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen has claimed he is the backup fighter should Tyson pull out.
And this isn’t the first time that Paul has been accused of “cherry-picking” opponents, after former cruiserweight champion Johnny Nelson hit out at the YouTuber-turned-boxer, claiming that the ‘The Problem Child’ has been “buying scalps” across his career so far.
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