Texas Licensing Regulators will not assess Mike Tyson until the day before his fight with Jake Paul on November 15.
Despite that fact, two months remain until Tyson makes a comeback after twenty years out, and it still doesn’t feel like that fight will happen.
As WBN has reported many times, there are many doubts about whether the one-time ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’ will ever step through the ropes again. If anything goes wrong before the fight, Tyson is staring at an exhibition downgrade of his professional fight with Jake Paul or worse.
World Boxing News understands that Tyson is treading a fine line due to age and health concerns. Speaking exclusively to the Texas Department of License and Regulation, Communications Manager Tela Mange said tests were already lined up for both competitors when Tyson suffered a stomach ulcer flare-up.
“TDLR is aware of media reports regarding an episode involving Mr. Tyson. At present, Mr. Tyson and Mr. Paul have met the medical requirements for this event,” Mange told World Boxing News exclusively. “Before the event, TDLR will conduct pre-fight physicals to ensure the health of both fighters.”
WBN has since learned that those tests will not be undertaken until November 14. This scenario leaves the TDLR out of the loop regarding any pre-fight problems with Tyson’s health until the weigh-in.
Mike Tyson’s boxing license NOT reviewed since stomach ulcer
The way Tyson spoke about Paul recently, the former heavyweight king will be going for the jugular and should really have to pass a stringent medical before getting that opportunity.
‘Iron Mike’ said, “As soon as I catch this guy. He’s going to be running around [the ring], but as soon as I catch this guy, it will be totally over. I’m going to f*** you up.”
Explaining why he wants to fight at 58 with health problems, Tyson added, “I don’t know. That’s a funny question – because I can. Who else can do it but me? Just look at it. Who else is he going to fight to make [this] happen?
When asked if he would fight again after Paul, he responded, “We have options. We’ll see.”
The combat stars who oppose Tyson fighting are lining up to criticize the YouTuber for signaling out the 1980s icon approaching his sixties. Michael Bisping recently gave Paul a verbal bashing, following plenty of others.
However, Bisping’s UFC colleague Daniel Cormier believes Tyson could knock Jake Paul out early on. Cormier added that if Paul knocks Tyson out, it would harm his career more than good.
Tyson has also been knocked out badly in his last two professional fights against much older opposition than Paul. At 58, does Tyson still have the punch resistance? That’s massively up for debate here.
The fight is on and will remain a pro bout until the TDLR makes a final ruling on the headlining event. Once assessed on November 14, it could be too late to decide the contest’s status.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
