Mike Tyson remains committed to his Nov. 15 dance date against Jake Paul.
The boxing Hall of Famer and former heavyweight champion appeared alongside Paul on Sunday in New York City for the first press conference ahead of their rescheduled bout. The duo were originally scheduled to compete on July 20, however Tyson withdrew from the big-money match in May after suffering health complications related to an ulcer flare-up.
That withdrawal only inflamed critics who argue that Tyson’s health and age make the fight is an irresponsible and dangerous booking, but Tyson remains steadfast in his pledge.
“[I’m doing this] because I can. Who else can do it but me?” Tyson said at Sunday’s press conference “Let’s look at it, who else is he going to fight to make this happen? You just have to listen to the facts. We got a YouTuber fighting the greatest fighter that ever lived.”
“Every time,” Paul shot back. “Every time, these fighters sit across from me and it’s YouTubers, Disney Channel, all that shit, and then you end up on the f*cking canvas. And you’ll see, it’s going to be no different here. I promise you that.
“I brought this deal to this old ass motherf*cker. We signed the contract with Netflix and I brought him the deal. So you’re welcome, my son. I’m going to discipline you like a son. So shut the f*ck up with all that ‘need this, need that.’ We brought you the deal. And remember that too.”
Tyson, 58, and Paul, 27, are scheduled to meet in a professional heavyweight bout contested across eight two-minute rounds at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tex., which airs live on Netflix.
Tyson has not competed professionally since losing a 2005 match against Kevin McBride. His most recent appearance in the ring came in an eight-round exhibition against fellow Hall of Famer Roy Jones Jr. in late 2020, which ended in a split draw.
Paul is 10-1 as a professional boxer since debuting in 2020 and has defeated a host of MMA veterans, counting wins over Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley (x2), Anderson Silva, and Nate Diaz. He knocked out BKFC star Mike Perry in his most recent bout this past July.
As he has done most of the boxing career, Paul continues to shrug off critics of his matchmaking preferences, this time regarding his booking against Tyson.
“People are always going to have something to say,” Paul said. “It’s because of who I am, it’s because I proved everyone wrong. Reminder, the most hated and most criticized boxer in the sport of boxing, before they loved him, was Muhammad Ali. So I’m the antihero and people will love me soon enough, once they realize what I’ve done for this sport and who I truly am. But that doesn’t bother me at the end of the day, because when you’re at the top, people are clawing to rip you down, and that’s just the way the game goes.
“You’ve got to risk it for the biscuit. That’s the name of the game. I’m here to make history. I’m here for a challenge. I’m here to fight one of the most dangerous men in all of boxing. No one that ever did anything great got there with ease or by an easy, non-bumpy road. I’m here to challenge myself. He’s vicious, he’s a killer. I know all of these things. He has one-punch knockout power. He’s the greatest heavyweight of all-time. But I will prove on November 15 all the haters wrong, all of these ‘YouTuber, YouTuber,’ f*cking hillbillies wrong. And that’s what I’ve always done.”
While Paul dipped into full promotional mode often during Sunday’s press conference, Tyson kept the majority of his responses short and sweet. Nonetheless, the boxing legend made sure to repeatedly remind his young foe that his intentions are serious.
“Very painfully,” Tyson promised when asked how the bout will go.
“Be in shape. Be in good shape because your health depends on it.”
“I think he’s a mitt warrior,” Paul said. “The Instagram videos are cute but we’ll see what happens in the ring on November 15. At the end of the day, we’ll see if he’s still got it.”
“Listen, as soon as I catch this guy, he’s going to be running around. As soon as I catch this guy, it’s going to be totally over,” Tyson later said. “... He’s going to run like a thief.”
“Nah, we can meet in the middle,” Paul responded.
“Oh, that’s what I want,” Tyson said.
“Let’s meet in the middle,” Paul reiterated.
“I love you,” Tyson replied.
“Let’s go. We’ll see,” Paul said.
“Oh, we will see, buddy,” Tyson responded.
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