What happened to Mike Tyson? The boxer’s medical emergency, explained

Mike Tyson‘s been mostly retired from the ring for nearly two decades now, and what was prepped to be a highly-anticipated return in 2024 may have hit some roadblocks.

The 57-year-old boxer retired from the punishing sport back in 2005, following a hugely successful decade and a half in the ring. He’s set to return with a 2024 standoff against the youthful but inexperienced Jake Paul in July, but a late May health emergency nearly disqualified the heavyweight champion from fighting.

What happened to Mike Tyson?

Tyson suffered a “medical episode” while on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles on May 26, just ahead of landing. As the plane was right around 30 minutes outside of Los Angeles, Tyson became “nauseous and dizzy” and experienced a minor medical scare, but one that’s he’s already recovered from. It’s not even his most dramatic in-flight experience of the last few years.

The dizzy spell was the result of “an ulcer flare up,” according to a representative for Tyson, but wasn’t a serious enough to delay or outright cancel his upcoming fight against Paul. Medical staff aboard the flight reportedly assisted Tyson in the wake of the incident, and he’s since made a full recovery.

The boxer is “appreciative to the medical staff that were there to help him,” according to Tyson’s representative, who reported that he is “doing great” just a few days out from what was initially labeled a “medical emergency.” The striking language sparked concern among a number of Tyson’s fans, but it seems initial reports were overblown. Tyson was, however, reportedly in intense pain when the call for medical staff went out airplane-wide, so much so that paramedics were rushed aboard to care for him as soon as the flight landed.

The care they provided, paired with the assistance given by medical personnel aboard the plane, was enough to assist Tyson in making a full recovery. He seems to be back to his regular self now, and raring for his next fight.

That’s great news for anyone who, like myself, have been eagerly looking forward to the Tyson v Paul standoff slated to release on Netflix in mid-July. It will be his first match since he returned for an exhibition bout in 2020, and his first professional fight since 2005, when he first stepped back from the ring.