With Mike Tyson on the eve of his return to the ring, the boxing icon will be slightly cautious of his back condition that can leave him in a wheelchair.
The former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world is scheduled to face YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul on Friday night. The showdown between the two boxing stars will take place in front of up to 80,000 fans at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
‘Iron Mike’ hasn’t fought a professional contest since losing to former Irish boxer Kevin McBride back in 2005. Despite hanging up his gloves that night, the boxing veteran opted to return to the squared-circle four years ago to take on fellow legend Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition bout.
Two years ago, fans were left concerned after the 58-year-old was spotted using a wheelchair at an airport. “I have sciatica every now and then, it flares up. When it flares up, I can’t even talk! Thank God it’s the only health problem I have. I’m splendid now. Everybody in my house is truly blessed and we’re all very grateful for whatever we have,” Tyson told Newsmax.
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Sciatica is a back condition which typically affects people between the ages of 30 and 50. A shooting pain is felt in the sciatic nerve, which can run from the lower back all the way down the feet. ‘Iron Mike’ isn’t the only fighter to battle sciatica, UFC legends Cain Velasquez and Anderson Silva have previously speaking about their experiences with the condition.
The pictures of Tyson in a wheelchair emerged online just days after he issued a prediction on his life expectancy during an episode of his HotBoxin’ podcast. “We’re all going to die one day of course,” he said. “When I look in the mirror, I see those little spots on my face. I say, ‘Wow. That means my expiration date is coming close, really soon’.”
Ahead of his showdown with Paul, fans have once again been left fearing for Tyson’s health. Back in September, the 58-year-old admitted he can barely walk as he prepares for his fight with ‘The Problem Child.’ “It’s hard to walk right now,” he said while attending a Cage Wars event. “But two months from now I’m going to be perfect.
“The fight is won in the gym. Listen, I’ll do anything that will help me. I’m going to enjoy my time here tonight with all my childhood friends, and the hell with Jake Paul.”
Mike Tyson admitted he struggled to walk after a training session
Both Tyson and Paul were due to go glove-to-glove earlier this year, however, ‘Iron Mike’ was forced to withdraw from the bout after suffering an ulcer flare up on a flight. Speaking recently on a Netflix documentary, the boxing veteran feared he was going to die before pulling out of the original date back in July.
The American said he fell to the ground in the bathroom of the airplane before coughing up blood. “A week and a half ago I was training and I was doing great but then all of a sudden I started feeling tired. I was explaining to my trainer, ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with me’.
“Coming here from Miami on the plane, I went to the bathroom and I threw up blood. The next thing I know I’m on the floor, I was defacating tar. So I came here and they found I had a big ulcer, two-and-a-half inches, and it was bleeding. All my friends were calling me like I was dying.
“I asked the doctor if I was going to die and she didn’t say no. She said we have options though, and that’s when I got nervous. I can’t wait to get out of this motherf***er, man. God, I want to fight and start training. I don’t want to die in the hospital bedroom, I want to die in the ring. You wouldn’t believe what I endured from my ulcer. I lost 26 pounds, can you imagine that? I was so p***ed off because I had peaked. I was good, talking s***, ready.”
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