Extraordinary replacement steps forward to take Mike Tyson’s place in Jake Paul fight

An unexpected replacement has stepped forward to take Mike Tyson’s place in his fight against Jake Paul.

Mike Tyson, 57, and Jake Paul, 27, were set to meet on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with the historic bout to be broadcast on Netflix.

However, the fight has now been postponed due to medical advice given to legendary boxer Tyson.

Last week the 57-year-old was taken ill while on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles and received medical attention.

It transpired that Tyson suffered an ulcer flare-up, which will prevent him from training properly over the next few weeks.

A statement released on Friday by Paul’s promotional company MVP announced the postponement of the fight until Tyson can return to full training.

The statement read: “Both Mike and Jake are in agreement that it is only fair to ensure that both athletes have equal training time to prepare for this important match and are able to compete at the highest level.

“The health and well-being of athletes is our top priority, and we fully support Mike in taking the necessary time to allow him to perform at the level he expects of himself.”

Mike Tyson and Jake Paul go head-to-head. Image: Getty

At present it is unclear when the eagerly anticipated fight will take place, but it seems unlikely to be cancelled outright due to the broadcast and commercial deals already in place.

However, in the even that organisers want the July 20 fight to go ahead, then Paul’s brother Logan Paul has offered to take Tyson’s place in the ring.

Reacting to the news of the postponement on Friday, Logan tweeted “So Mike Tyson’s out? I’ll step in and we can settle this once and for all.”

The relationship between the two brothers – both YouTubers-turned combat sport athletes – has become strained in recent months.Last year, Jake admitted that his relationship with his older brother was ‘at breaking point’ after falling out over a number of issues.