On November 15 last year, Jake Paul and Mike Tyson faced each other in a rather controversial fight. Even though the fight broke several records in terms of revenue and viewership, the age disparity between the two combatants was shocking for many to accept. Despite this, Mike Tyson entered the ring and fought on for the full eight rounds. While it was evident that the 58-year-old was way past his prime, the fact that Tyson didn’t suffer any knockdowns or KOs helped the viewers breathe a sigh of relief. Both made a pretty penny at the end of the night and went on their merry ways.

However, soon after, things quickly took a dark and scary turn when in an interview on Fox Sports Radio last month, Mike Tyson revealed that he didn’t remember much from the fight. Soon enough, chaos erupted on social media with many claiming Tyson was concussed and most bashing Jake Paul for even orchestrating the fight. It seems Jake Paul knew something was wrong in the midst of the fight. That is why, as he revealed, he decided to take his foot off the pedal during the last moments.

Jake Paul didn’t want it to go this way

While taking to Akin “Ak” Reyes and Barak Bess on the first episode of the Ring Champs podcast on All the Smoke Fight recently, the 27-year-old revealed how he had to change his mindset by the end of the fight. After hitting the ground running, both fighters started to slow down in the end. The 58-year-old because of exhaustion and damage, and Jake Paul because of resistance to not hurt the legend any further. As Reyes asked, “It did seem like you held back towards the end,” a question that has been on everyone’s mind, Paul affirmed what many presumed was the case.

“Yeah I did,” replied El Gallo, revealing that he realized that any more damage to Tyson would be critical. He claimed, “There was a point where like early on. I saw his eyes roll back and he like stumbled,” snapping the 27-year-old out of his fight mode as “this is not” how he wanted to win over Mike Tyson. With almost 15 seconds left on the clock, Jake Paul lowered his stance completely and even bowed down in front of Iron Mike. It was not only a sign of respect but also a declaration that the fight was over.

Given how the fight went down, Paul held back in the last few seconds and still got an easy victory. However, as Tyson made another revelation about his health, it is worth considering what could have happened if that was not the case.

Mike Tyson still ain’t 100%

On January 25, the New York Post caught the 58-year-old on the 2025 Pegasus World Cup carpet. On being asked about his health since the fight, Tyson replied, “I feel pretty good,” but he might still not be “100 percent recovered.” It was very much in line with his revelation made during the Fox Sports Radio interview.

During the interview, he revealed that he doesn’t, “remember the fight that much, I kind of blanked out a little,” stating how reckless the decision was to make an in-ring return. Interestingly, Mike Tyson doesn’t even remember the guard of honor that Jake Paul bestowed on him during the final seconds of the fight. “I remember coming back from the first round and Jake is doing some kind of … I don’t know what he was doing (leans forward pretending to bow) and that’s the last thing I remember,” revealed Tyson.

The 58-year-old has been quite regretful of his decision ever since the bout finished. Hours following the Jake Paul fight, Tyson appeared in Covino and Rich Show confessing that “I almost died,” before asking what everyone was thinking at the time: “Why did I do that?” It was a valid question, considering Tyson was in pretty bad shape even before the fight. He was out of the professional ring for 19 years and had a two-and-a-half inch of bleeding ulcer months before the Paul encounter.

However, it looks like the Brooklyn native is now recovering well, as he has started working out again. A few days ago, he even uploaded a picture of him using the seated row machine in the gym—a sight that will provide a bit of relief to his fans.

Do you think things would have turned worse if Jake Paul hadn’t held back? Let us know your thoughts down below.