The highly-anticipated showdown between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson is drawing ever closer — but both boxers are going to have to make it to July 20 still alive amid growing concerns over the safety of the two men.

While experts have consistently stated that Tyson is in danger ahead of his first professional fight in 19 years, Paul just had a close brush with death as his jet was struck by lightning while he was flying home from the pre-fight press conference in Arlington, Texas. Paul posted a video to social media that was recorded during the incident, and some fans have taken it as proof that the “Problem Child” is trying to avoid the potential problem of meeting “Iron Mike” in the ring in two months’ time.

Shocking claims made following incident with Paul’s jet

Paul posted a video to Instagram and to X (formerly Twitter) of what happened when his jet made contact with the elements. He was shown praying amidst the bad weather conditions and evoking Greek mythology — specifically Zeus, the Greek god of lightning — by saying “the gods are at war.” Naturally, this lent itself to some fascinating comments on speculation on Paul’s Instagram.

Many users seemed to think that the lightning strike serves as a sign that Paul should back out of the Tyson fight, which will be streamed live on Netflix from AT&T Stadium. One fan even said “(Paul) is trying to fake his death so he doesn’t need to fight,” while another said the lightning was a “warning from God man don’t fight Iron Mike.” Yet another user even interpreted the weather phenomenon as the first blow from Tyson, who was once known as the “Baddest Man on the Planet.”

However, Paul is alive and well, and on Monday he published a cryptic post on X that seemingly acknowledged just how close he came to no longer being among the living.