Boxing legend Mike Tyson vows to defeat Jake Paul in an upcoming historic fight, setting the stage for a highly anticipated clash between generations.
Mike Tyson wasn’t interested in speaking during the final press conference before he, a 58-year-old former heavyweight champion, faces off against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
On Wednesday night, just two days before the fight against Paul—who is 31 years his junior at the Dallas Cowboys’ NFL stadium—Tyson provided brief responses to all questions.
The topic of Tyson’s health wasn’t discussed at a small concert venue located about 20 miles from AT&T Stadium. A match initially planned for July 20 was rescheduled to Friday night because Tyson required treatment for a stomach ulcer after becoming ill during a flight.
In a documentary promoting the fight, Tyson mentioned that he lost 26 pounds during his recovery. However, Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions with Paul, stated that Tyson had been medically cleared for weeks.
Bidarian also mentioned that Tyson was undergoing the standard medical examinations required for any sanctioned professional fight in Texas.
Multiple states refused to approve the bout. Texas consented to an eight-round fight instead of the usual 10 or 12, with each round lasting two minutes rather than three and using heavier gloves meant to diminish punch impact.
“It’s charming,” Paul remarked about the brief Tyson. “I fear no one, so I hope he brings back that fierce old Mike.”
Paul attempted to catch Tyson’s attention by donning what he described as a “diamond-spiked ear cover.” This move was Paul’s playful reference to the infamous incident in 1997 when Tyson bit Evander Holyfield’s ear during their fight. Despite this jab, Paul couldn’t get a response from Tyson.
Tyson momentarily became agitated when someone asked him twice about his reaction to potentially losing. His last official fight took place in 2005, and he faced Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition match four years ago.
“I am not going to lose,” Tyson repeated, his voice growing louder when asked again. “Did you hear what I said?”
Before retiring 19 years ago, Tyson had a record of 50 wins and 6 losses, with an impressive total of 44 knockouts. In contrast, Paul has accumulated a record of 10 wins and one loss in less than five years as a professional boxer, achieving seven knockouts predominantly against mixed martial artists and journeymen boxers.
The fight marks the debut of a combat sports event being streamed on Netflix. It will be accessible at no extra charge to over 280 million Netflix subscribers worldwide.
