Brain Expert Warns Mike Tyson of ‘Severe’ Injury in Jake Paul Fight

A prominent neurology expert warns that The Baddest Man on the Planet might be in for a rude — and very dangerous — awakening. 

When Mike Tyson, 58, steps into the ring with Jake Paul, 27, on Friday, November 15, in a fight that will stream live on Netflix, the boxing legend is putting himself at great risk for long-term damage, according to Dr. Nitin K Sethi, clinical associate professor of neurology at Weill Cornell Medical College.

“When you talk about fighters who are now above the age of 40, you worry about two things,” Sethi, who also works as a ringside physician, told CNN in a story published on Thursday, November 14. “One, I worry about the fighting in the ring itself, because is that fighter more predisposed to getting a severe traumatic brain injury under my watch while in the ring because of his or her age?”

Sethi added, “The second thing I worry about is, this is a fighter who has had many, many years of professional boxing under his or her belt. You worry about the chronic neurological injuries.”

Tyson has not fought in a professional fight since a loss to Kevin McBride in June 2005. 

Many boxing commissions list fighters over the age of 40 as “high risk” combatants, which Sethi helped explain. 

“The reason 40 is used as a cutoff is because there’s concern raised that when you have older fighters entering the ring or cage, they are more susceptible to either getting hurt or, for example, an older brain handles a concussion less [well)] than, for example, a younger brain,” Sethi said. 

He added, “You can look at it both ways. One is what is the propensity that they will get hurt. And then it’s even if they suffer the injury, is it the fact that age itself is detrimental in the healing process?”

Sethi detailed how the sport’s knockouts and body blows can lead to immediate injury, it’s the long-term repercussions of a life in boxing that can ultimately be the most detrimental. 

“When you have somebody whose profession is receiving numerous head impact exposures – both during training, sparring, and when in the ring – these head injuries and head impact exposures add up,” Sethi said. “That’s why when you talk about chronic neurological injuries in boxing, I personally feel that that’s the bigger problem.”

For his part, Tyson doesn’t seem overly concerned about the potential ramifications. 

“There are no feelings attached,” Tyson told reporters on Tuesday, November 13. “My own mother should be very careful if she has to get in the ring with me. When it’s over, it’s over. But while the process is going on, my intention is to hurt him. I hope he has the same intentions, or he is in trouble.”

The eight-round Tyson-Paul fight, which takes place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, is the main event of a fight card that streams live Friday at 8pm ET on Netflix.