Mike Tyson is getting back in the ring at 58 – what could go wrong?

Associated Press/Alamy Stock Photo by Stephen Hughes, Anglia Ruskin University If at 58, I were to agree to a boxing match with a person half my age, much alarm would be caused. My daughters would burst into tears, my partner would have strong words, and my students would have final confirmation that I had lost the plot. I, however, am not “Iron Mike” Tyson. On July 20, the former heavyweight boxing world champion is due to step into the ring at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, to fight YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul. Tyson will be 58, Paul will be 27. Let’s take a look at what will be going on biologically for Iron Mike. Receiving repeated blows to the body can tire a boxer out, and a well-aimed shovel hook to the liver can cause a “technical knockout”, but the head is the main target. Boxers are always looking for the knockout blow – and that only happens if you hit the head. However, the head takes many forceful blows before a knockout is achieved – if it is achieved at all. Many boxers “go the distance” – in other words, manage to fight till the end, which can be...