'Idiotic' Tyson-Paul bout 'shouldn't be happening'

Nearly 40 years after making his professional debut, and 19 years after being battered into retirement, a 58-year-old Mike Tyson will climb back into the ring on Nov 15 for a Netflix-backed bout that has drawn widespread condemnation across the boxing world.

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Tyson, who terrorized the heavyweight division during an imperious reign in the late 1980s, is lacing up the gloves once more to take on YouTuber Jake Paul, 27, in an officially sanctioned fight at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The fight, comprising eight two-minute rounds, was initially due to take place in July but was postponed in May after Tyson required medical treatment on a flight after vomiting blood due to a bleeding ulcer.

That gory mid-air emergency has provided another piece of ammunition for the numerous critics, who have condemned this latest contest as a macabre circus act that poses an unacceptable level of risk for Tyson - who last graced a professional ring in 2005 when he was beaten via a technical knockout after quitting on his stool against Irish journeyman Kevin McBride.