Mike Tyson’s return to professional boxing is back on.

New York City’s Fanatics Fest hosted several big sports press conferences, talk shows, and meet-and-greets this past Sunday. Among the lineups was the first pre-fight press conference for Tyson vs. Jake Paul after it was rebooked for Nov. 15.

If criticism of the matchup was high before its rescheduling, it only bolstered after a health scare pulled Tyson from the original July 20 date. Paul instead battled Mike Perry that night, who he defeated in round six by TKO, putting us back on the spectacle’s road. Tyson, 58, says he’s all good to go and believes this is something that needs to happen for more than just himself and “The Problem Child.”

“This is what the world really needs right now,” Tyson said on IMPAULSIVE. “The pay-per-views prove it, right? So, that’s the truth.

“Listen, I know it looks crazy. Look at a YouTube guy, look at me, but look what we brought here. Look what we did. That’s not funny at all. You can’t laugh at that.”

The match for Tyson will be his first under a professional format (50-6, 2 NC) since his loss to Kevin McBride in June 2005. “Iron Mike” returned for the first time in a 2020 exhibition against his fellow legend, Roy Jones Jr., but that’s been the extent of Tyson’s activity for the past 19 years.

Paul, on the other hand, rides a four-match winning streak and only has one loss in his 11-match career that began in 2020. Despite the single appearance Tyson has had as of late, he’s adamant that the classic primal version of Tyson hasn’t gone away and what will make his match with Paul different is his respect for him as a boxer.

“That’s gonna happen,” Tyson said of the killer coming out. “But this is what I learned from prior experience. When that tough guy Mike Tyson comes out, when it’s not necessary to come out, I’m always in handcuffs. So, I’m very careful when that guy comes out.

“Anytime I drink or am ready to get in a fight, I break out in handcuffs (laughs).

“I take him extremely serious. These people don’t take him serious,” he added. “I gotta get him before he gets too good. If you think I’m too old for this fight, you need to come tell me in my face.”

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TOP STORIES

Optimism. Dana White believes Jon Jones will fight Tom Aspinall: ‘There’s no way in hell that Jon Jones doesn’t want to fight Aspinall’

Recap. DWCS Season 8, Week 2 results: 4 more contracts awarded, including former PFL fighter Rizvan Kuniev

Uncertain. ‘Maybe his time is up?: Matt Brown questions if Israel Adesanya is hitting an inevitable decline

Recap. The Ultimate Fighter 32: Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko Episode 12 results

Odds. Dricus du Plessis opens as betting favorite over Alex Pereira, underdog to Khamzat Chimaev in potential title defenses

Wild. Benson Henderson vs. Chris Avila booked for 1-night tournament at Misfits Boxing 18

All-In. Joe Rogan would ‘fly to the moon’ to call Dricus du Plessis vs. Alex Pereira: ‘I want to see that fight’

Possibilities. Tom Aspinall promises he ‘will retire Jon Jones without even fighting him’

Moves. Rankings Shakeup: Dan Hooker, Kai Kara-France headline big moves after UFC 305

Hype. Khalil Rountree Jr. says critics of Alex Pereira fight are not ‘true fans’: ‘It’s going to be exciting from start to finish’

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LET’S WATCH

MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck chats with Khalil Rountree Jr.

Fighter Vs. Writer.

Dana White Post-Contender Series.

Big upsets.

Full fights.

PFL Fight Week.

Always training.

A Day in the Fight Camp.

KC History.

Volk’s 305 BTS.

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MORNING MUSIC

Go to Twitter, use the #MorningReport hashtag, or find one of my tweets with it, and drop me a jam you’re currently really into. I’ll pick the best one alongside my daily choice and give you a shoutout! You can also share in the comments below — those are just harder to sift through sometimes!

This month’s full playlist:

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SOCIAL SCROLL DOWN

Hot take Kayla.

Till continues to Till.

Gamrot speaks.

Concerning.

Payday throwback.

Just Jon.

Epic as always.

Astro Boy.

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Dennis Buzukja (12-4) vs. Francis Marshall (7-2); UFC Vegas 96, Aug. 24

Elisandra Ferreira (7-2) vs. Andressa Romero (7-4-1); Invicta FC 57, Sept. 20

Kristina Williams (7-4) vs. Nayara Maia (7-1-1); Invicta FC 57, Sept. 20

Liz Tracy (7-4) vs. DeAnna Bennett (13-9-1); Invicta FC 57, Sept. 20

Milana Dudieva (12-9) vs. Sandra Lavado (12-5); Invicta FC 57, Sept. 20

Maria Djukic (3-1) vs. Maria Favela (3-2); Invicta FC 57, Sept. 20

Ľudovít Klein (22-4-1) vs. Nikolas Motta (14-5); UFC Paris, Sept. 28

Yusuke Yachi (26-14) vs. Sho Patrick Usami (7-2); RIZIN 48, Sept. 29

Jo Arai (16-11-2) vs. Nkazimulo Zulu (15-6-1); RIZIN 48, Sept. 29

Juntaro Ushiku (23-11-1) vs. Shoko Sato (35-16-2); RIZIN 48, Sept. 29

Yuto “Kintaro” Hokamura (15-13-2) vs. Kyoma Akimoto (5-0); RIZIN 48, Sept. 29

Yuki Motoya (35-12) vs. Shinobu Ota (7-3); RIZIN 48, Sept. 29

Derrick Lewis (28-12) vs. Jhonata Diniz (8-0); UFC Edmonton, Nov. 2

Alexandr Romanov (17-3) vs. Rodrigo Nascimento (11-2); UFC Edmonton; Nov. 2

Mansur Abdul-Malik (6-0) vs. Duško Todorovixć (12-4); UFC Vegas 100, Nov. 9

Dustin Jacoby (19-9-1) vs. Vitor Petrino (11-1); UFC Tampa, Dec. 14

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FINAL THOUGHTS

I see where Mike is coming from but I still disagree. Man’s gonna do what the man’s gonna do, though.

Thanks for reading!

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EXIT POLL

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If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @DrakeRiggs_ on Twitter and let him know about it. Also, follow MMAFighting on Instagram and like us on Facebook.