Tyson's bout with Paul delayed over health episode; What are the criteria for aged boxers to enter the ring?

Tyson was onboard a flight enroute Miami to Los Angeles is when he complained of dizziness and was nauseous. The veteran boxer was immediately attended by first responders. Later, Tyson's camp is said to have conveyed that the former heavyweight champion's illness is related to an ulcer issue.

The former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and Youtuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul recently announced that the much anticipated boxing bout between the two will be delayed. The match that was initially scheduled to take place on July 20 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, USA has been postponed after 57-year-old Tyson complained of illness during a flight recently.

Tyson was onboard a flight enroute Miami to Los Angeles is when he complained of dizziness and was nauseous. Guardian reported that the veteran boxer was immediately attended by first responders. Later, Tyson's camp is said to have conveyed that the former heavyweight champion's illness is related to an ulcer issue.

Tyson will turn 58 before the fight, which was scheduled to be streamed on Netflix in what’s likely to be a massive payday for both fighters.

Tyson issuing a statement on his health and the match against Paul said: “My body is in better overall shape than it has been since the 1990s, and I will be back to my full training schedule soon."

Calling out his opponent in the much awaited faceoff of 2024, Tyson stressed, "Jake Paul, this may have bought you some time, but in the end you will still be knocked out and out of boxing for good. I appreciate everyone’s patience and can’t wait to deliver an unforgettable performance later this year”.

The promoters of Tyson also issued a statement conveying, “During a follow up consultation on Thursday with medical professionals on his recent ulcer flare-up, the recommendation is for Mike Tyson to do minimal to light training over the next few weeks and then return to full training with no limitations".

While Tyson has not been into a professional boxing match since 2005— he was part of an exhibition bout in November 2020 against Roy Jones Jr. However, Tyson has continued his training for the many years he chose to stay out of the ring.

For 27-year-old Jake Paul, who has six knockouts in his name after facing some of the biggest boxers and MMA stars, the wait is worth.

“I fully support postponing the event so Mike Tyson has no excuses come fight night. My fans know I don’t want to face Iron Mike at anything but his best, but let there be no mistake: When he steps into the ring with me, I will be ready to claim my W with a sensational finish”, said Paul.

Paul entered the first bout of his boxing career in 2018 against Deji Olatunji— who's another YouTuber. Paul has his biggest bout against MMA star Anderson Silva in 2022, after which he also faced Tommy Fury in 2023 after many delays, with one fight still pending. The same year, Paul faced UFC fighter Nate Diaz and was unanimously declared the winner. This year so far, Paul entered a fight against former Gold Gloves champion Ryan Bourland only to finish the bout in 2 minutes 37 seconds with a TKO.

The boxing officials in Texas are said to have sanctioned Tyson’s meeting with Paul as a legitimate bout with eight two-minute rounds and unusually heavy gloves. Tyson and Paul have meanwhile conveyed that the new dates of the match will be announced soon.

Age-related concerns to be addressed before a fight as this

Age is one of the concerns with Tyson.

A research on what should be the criteria for aging or aged boxers to enter the ring said defensive boxers tend to age more gracefully as compared to boxers (sluggers) whose tradecraft is characterized by standing in the middle (pocket) and trading punches.

Nitin K Sethi of New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical Center in the US states that the decision to grant a boxer older than 40 licenses to fight, must be given on case-to-case basis. According to Sethi's research, following are a few of the most important factors to be considered while giving the license to an aged boxer:

- Boxer's age at the time of the planned bout: Any year over 40 can affect the total risk distribution score.

- Determine cardiovascular fitness for combat based on Electrocardiogram (ECG), and Echocardiogram (ECHO) tests.

- Stress test may be another concern depending on each case.

- Certain neurological tests such as the magnetic resonance imaging of the brain (MRI), magnetic resonance angiography of the head (MRA) can also be considered to find out vascular malformations if any.

- A formal neurocognitive evaluation can also be prescribed to detect latent neurodegenerative disorders like traumatic encephalopathy syndrome (TES) based on the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Consensus Diagnostic Criteria for TES.