Mike Tyson‘s name conjures images of an unstoppable force—a gladiator in the ring, ferocious and unyielding. But even the mightiest warriors have their moments of doubt. In a surprising confession at San Diego Comic-Con 2023, Mike Tyson pulled back the curtain on his indomitable persona, revealing that he once teetered on the edge of quitting mid-fight.

You see, ‘Iron’ Mike was headlining ‘The Art of Fighting’ panel presented by TEKKEN 8, a video game developed by the brilliant minds of Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc. The panel brought together real-world champions, including Cris Cyborg, and WWE Superstar Xavier Woods a.k.a. Austin Creed, to discuss shared themes and look at how fight techniques have evolved.

Regardless, a clip from this event has resurfaced on the internet once again, as boxing reporter, Elie Seckbach, reposted the clip on Instagram, giving fans a blast from the past. This comes weeks after 58-year-old Tyson lost a unanimous decision 10-round fight to YouTube star Jake Paul in Arlington, Texas.

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Responding to a fan’s question during the panel, Tyson recollected his bout against Mark Young all the way back in December 1985. “My second 10-round fight—the guy wasn’t that great of a fighter, really,” Tyson said. “But he hit me in the stomach a couple of times and it hurt and I wanted to stop.”

The former heavyweight champion claimed despite the pain from Young’s punches, he didn’t quit and went on to win. In fact, Tyson won that fight via 1st round knockout—it was his 15th consecutive knockout win. He would go on to knockout his next four opponents as well before recording his first unanimous decision win over James Tillis in 1986.

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Coming back to Tyson’s story, Tyson claimed despite his spectacular win, the punches left him unable to walk for three days. “I was proud that I didn’t stop and I fought back, but I couldn’t walk for three days,” Tyson recalled. This prompted the fan to guess that Tyson tried to avoid body shots from then on. But the reality was different.

“No, not really, but I know I can take them now,” Tyson quickly corrected the fan. Meanwhile, Tyson has revealed something interesting about his bout against Jake Paul.

Mike Tyson has dismissed claims that age slowed him down during his recent fight against Jake Paul. Despite losing via unanimous decision, the 58-year-old insisted he wasn’t fatigued during the eight-round bout, his first in almost 20 years. “Magically, it just happened so quick,” Tyson told 7News. “Eight rounds were over fast. I wasn’t tired, I wasn’t sweating. I didn’t understand that.”

The fight, which Tyson’s son Amir called his father’s ‘best effort’ at this stage of his life, fueled rumors of being rigged—claims Amir denied. “His gas tank after the third round was just shot,” Amir clarified to Seconds Out. “He did the best he could at his age.” While Tyson appears retired for good, he remains optimistic about the future, saying, “The sky is the limit. I’m very grateful to be able to do everything that I want to do in this and beyond.”

Jake Paul and Most Valuable Promotions have denied rigging the Mike Tyson fight following several claims about the controversial event.

Reports claiming that Paul vs Tyson had a preordained outcome have continually dogged the headliner since Netflix broadcasted the show to over 100 million viewers on November 15. The allegations are so rife that MVP and Paul were forced to release a statement to World Boxing News over the matter.

They told WBN, “Following the wide circulation of incorrect and baseless claims that undermine the integrity of the Paul vs. Tyson event, Most Valuable Promotions [MVP] would like to set the record straight regarding the contractual agreements and the nature of the fight.

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“Rigging a professional boxing match is a federal crime in the United States of America. Paul vs. Tyson was a professional match sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations [TDLR]. Both fighters, in good faith, performed to the best of their abilities with the goal of winning the fight.

“There were absolutely no restrictions – contractual or otherwise – around either fighter. Each boxer was able to use his full arsenal to win the fight. Any agreement to the contrary would violate TDLR boxing rules.”

The MVP defense comes after Jake Paul admitted holding meetings with Tyson about the fight alongside his wife, Kiki. In an occurrence that spawned the event four years ago, what was discussed between them has not been made public or confirmed to have been recorded.

Paul and MVP have assured detractors that anything perceived as pre-agreed between the pair is untrue.

“Trash talk and speculation are common in sports, and athletes and promoters need to tolerate nonsensical commentary, jokes, and opinions. But suggesting anything other than full effort from these fighters is not only naïve but an insult to the work they put into their craft and to the sport itself.

“It is further illogical and inane that MVP, in the debut of a hopeful long-term partnership with the world’s biggest streamer—an organization that made its first-ever foray into live professional sports with Paul vs. Tyson—would even so much as consider such a perverse violation of the rules of competition,” they concluded.

Tyson has walked away with $20 million and only a slight dent on his professional record. Meanwhile, Paul has been left to pick up the pieces as he attempts to keep doubts over his boxing career at bay long enough to secure another event with Netflix.

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is currently touted as a possible next opponent for a WBA title.

Damning footage has emerged and gone viral on social media of Mike Tyson appearing to hold back his punches during his controversial fight against Jake Paul.

In the short snippet posted to X, Tyson, 58, threw a feint with his left hand before starting to follow through with his right hand as Paul, 27, was exposed, but he seemingly stopped himself.

Unsurprisingly, this has led to many fans online asking whether the fight was rigged, and whether or not there was a mutual agreement between the pair not to land any serious and heavy punches. Iron Mike’s opponent was left wide open and there for the taking, so why on earth didn’t the boxing legend go through with his shot?

The eight-round fight saw the former YouTuber Paul take the victory via unanimous decision, but many fans had pleaded for the fight to never happen in the first place.

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Pros and fans alike didn’t want the bout taking place

Tony Bellew, the former WBC cruiserweight champion, tweeted during the fight: “We are all to blame for this man! We are all talking and watching! We have to stop this fool! Don’t tune into him until he fights someone who is fit, healthy and not a grandfather! Any proper boxing people helping Paul need to look at themselves ffs. This is just sad.”

In the lead-up to the fight, many speculated around the legitimacy of the event due to Tyson’s age and his condition, with conspiracies circulating across social media about the potential outcome.

Former world champion Carl Froch told GB News the night before the fight that he believes it is a scripted fight and that there was something in the contract to stop Tyson from trying to hurt Paul.

During the fight, it was soon clear that Tyson was a shell of his former self, with unstable legs and the constant glove biting – some fans expressed feeling sad to see the former world champion struggling.

However, this clip has fired up conspiracists yet again with some suggesting that the fight was fixed for the Problem Child to win. Even Sara Bailey, women’s WBA world light flyweight champion, who supported Lucas Bahdi on the undercard, told ES NEWS she believed it was fixed.