UFC veteran says Mike Tyson is perfectly positioned to withdraw from Jake Paul fight: “You couldn’t be in a better spot”
Mike Tyson's reported health concern has become a big part of the storyline for his upcoming boxing match against Jake Paul. The boxing legend allegedly required medical assistance after his flight landed in Los Angeles.
Tyson's team clarified that a flared-up ulcer caused the health scare and that the 57-year-old was in good health afterward. However, the incident has led to speculations about the upcoming contest and the ex-UFC fighter gave his take on the situation.
In a recent YouTube video, UFC veteran and popular MMA analyst Chael Sonnen shared his thoughts on the incident. The 47-year-old said that Tyson's health scare puts Paul in a tough spot and explained the reason behind his opinion:
"If you're going to go into a situation of trying to explain why we're going to have a sanctioned fight in five weeks with a gentleman that dealt with a medical issue that was made public and you attempt to downplay that issue, that is going to be your biggest problem."
Speaking further, Sonnen implied that the health issue provides Tyson a legitimate excuse to pull out of the fight:
"If you're purely seeing in the world of PR, if you're 'Iron' Mike Tyson, well you've got the world by the ba**s right now. You couldn't be in a better spot. You could not possibly have a better spot, for one, the built-in excuse which every fighter looks for. They just try to pull out off on you guys like it's not!"
Catch Chael Sonnen's comments below (6:00):
Chael Sonnen believes Mike Tyson has the opportunity to show his warrior spirit
Speaking further in the aforementioned video, Chael Sonnen argued that while the built-in excuse could favor Mike Tyson if he decides to pull out, going ahead with the fight will put a stamp on his fighting spirit. Sonnen said:
"[Mike Tyson] is actually in the position where he can show the world that you can overcome that. What's going to happen tomorrow isn't based on what happened today - that whether or not I had an ulcer that kept me in my seat, this weird kid here with the weird hairdo, with all the YouTube followers, he can't put me down." [7:38]
He added:
"[Mike Tyson] is in a very good position to show that bravado, that the world does not belong to younger guys with YouTube followers - that some people can stand their ground and fight it out whether they feel like it or not." [8:59]
At the time of this writing, there has been no official report about the change in schedule or opponent. Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul is set to take place on July 20 at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The event will be streamed live on Netflix.