Mike Tyson Suffered Medical Episode On Sunday Flight

Former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson had to receive medical treatment on a cross-country flight to Los Angeles Sunday after reportedly suffering from what a spokesman for him described as, an ” ulcer flare up.” In Touch Weekly was the first to report about Tyson’s scare, which happened on an American Airlines cross country flight from Miami to Los Angeles approximately 30 minutes before the plane was to have landed.

The New York Post further reported from an unnamed passenger on the plane that there was an announcement on the overhead speakers for a doctor to come to the first class section where Tyson was seated, without mentioning any names.

Mike Tyson Suffering From a Medical Situation on a Cross-Country Flight

Details from a Passenger

The passenger further relayed that there was a message that then appeared on all of the television screens on the cross-country flight, asking for a doctor. Upon landing, passengers were instructed to wait for some 20 minutes for paramedics to board to offload Tyson and check him out further. It’s not clear whether he was taken to a hospital or not in the aftermath of the episode.

Tyson’s spokesman said in a statement late Monday morning to the Post,

“Thankfully Mr. Tyson is doing great. He became nauseous and dizzy due to an ulcer flare up 30 minutes before landing. He is appreciative to the medical staff that were there to help him.” 

Tyson, who will be 58 years old next month, is slated to fight a special rules fight with celebrity boxer Jake Paul on July 20th at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. That fight will represent Tyson’s first return to the ring since a November 2020 exhibition with Hall of Famer Roy Jones. This fight with Paul is already stipulated as an eight-round bout with 2 minute rounds, instead of three.  And, the fighters will also be wearing bigger, padded 14 oz gloves than the standard 10 oz usual gloves that heavyweights would wear. This is to protect both Tyson and Paul, to an extent, from serious punches.

“Iron Mike” recently spoke to Dan Rafael on a Big Fight Weekend/Fight Freaks Unite podcast about the incident and said: “I’m perfect now.”

This is not the first time that Tyson has been in the news on a cross-country flight, as an incident happened on a plane that was still at the gate to go from San Francisco to Florida in April of 2022. As we reported previously, he encountered problems with a passenger recognizing him and refusing to leave him alone, while taking a video of Tyson. Tyson was shown on video punching that passenger in the seat behind his. After things were calmed down, Tyson eventually left that flight before it ever took off. He was questioned but never charged in the incident.

Tyson’s Place In History

Tyson reigned as undisputed heavyweight champion from 1987-1990, defending the three undisputed crowns successfully, five times in total before James “Buster” Douglas’ monumental upset of Tyson by knockout in Tokyo, Japan, in February 1990.

After a three-year prison stay for a rape conviction in Indiana in 1992, Tyson was released and quickly regained both the WBA and WBC world titles in separate wins over Frank Bruno and Bruce Seldon. However, fellow hall of famer Evander Holyfield defeated him by an 11th-round TKO in a stunning upset in November of 1996. Then, Tyson was famously disqualified in their rematch for biting off a portion of Holyfield’s ear in the June 1997 rematch.