Mike Tyson and Jake Paul came face to face for the first time in a press conference in New York that turned into a circus.
The boxing legend and the 27-year-old YouTube sensation turned fighter will clash in a controversially sanctioned professional fight live on Netflix on Saturday, July 20.
Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, but at 57 years of age, many fans and pundits are concerned about his health when taking on a man born three decades after him.
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‘Iron Mike’ has been warned against returning to the ring, nearly 20 years since his last professional fight. He hasn’t held a major boxing title since 1996 and by the night of the fight, will be just three weeks removed from his 58th birthday.
But one of the most feared and ferocious boxers in history is undeterred and the clash will go ahead, despite videos of Tyson’s training camp raising doubts about his decision. Here’s what we learned at the press conference on Monday.
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Mike Tyson feels “s***” and “sore” and is training to “funeral” songs
Tyson admitted his body feels “s***” and “sore” as he prepares to return to the ring – making no effort to hide the toll camp is taking.
“My body is s*** right now. I am sore,” Tyson said. When it was suggested that the former heavyweight champion was playing possum and overstating the negative effects, he replied: “I wish.”
Tyson also claimed he has been preparing to a soundtrack of “funeral music” in the gym as he puts himself through a strict and meticulous training camp.
Jake Paul thinks he “hits harder” than Mike Tyson
“I know I will be able to [take his punches],” Paul said. “I’m a natural-born heavyweight. This is what I was born to do, to move up into this weight class, and I’m going to show Mike who has more power. Because he’s underestimating me. I think everyone else is underestimating me and I believe I hit harder.
(Image: REX/Shutterstock)
“I know it’s going to be tough. I know I’m going to have to fight through adversity. I know I might even go to the canvas.
“I’m scared, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not about the fear stopping me. It’s about going into it even though I am scared, and that’s what true bravery is.”
Mike Tyson doesn’t care if people say he’s too old to fight
Tyson was asked for a message to those advising him against returning to the ring, which include former heavyweight king Deontay Wilder.
He said: “I think the people that said that wish they were up here. Because no one else can do it. Who else can do this? Who else can shut the sporting world down? No one else can do it.
“You’ve got the both of us and we’re going to do this. We’re friends. There’s no doubt we’re friends. But in that ring, we’re not going to be friends. That’s just what it is.”
(Image: REX/Shutterstock)
He added: “I really like Jake but he’s going to have to fight like his life is on the line because it is.”
Tyson also opened the door to more comeback fights after facing Jake Paul. He said: “This feels like it’s going to be pretty fun so maybe we’ll do it again… let me take care of Jake first.”
‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ wanted an “action” filled pro fight
“He was game,” Paul said. “I think he’s always wanted to do this. This has been a long time coming. We’ve been calling each other out for years and we finally got to make it happen, on Netflix, the biggest platform in the world. Things just keep on getting bigger and better.
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Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are set to lock horns in a huge clash this month with each fighter attempting to etch their names in boxing history as the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 1999. The stakes couldn’t be higher as the pair will go head to head for the prestigious WBC, WBA, WBO, and IBF titles.
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“Mike wanted this. Mike wanted it to be a pro fight. He wants the war. I respect that. I respect him for taking this fight, for stepping up, to try to put an end to me. Because that’s what all these fighters have been trying to do, is end the YouTuber — and if Mike can do that, then he’s a hero.”
Katie Taylor will also rematch Amanda Serrano on the card at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas. It will be over two rounds, rather than the traditional three, with Tyson claiming: “I wanted the shorter rounds because I wanted more action.”
Neither fighter wants to disclose their “body count”
The press conference was bizarrely interrupted by a swearing 14-year-old boy, asking who between the pair had the “higher body count”.
(Image: @HappyPunch)
Teen influencer and prankster Kayo Martin – who has 123,000 followers on Instagram – crashed the event at the Apollo Theatre and had plenty to say.
The New York native asked: “So you think he has bigger balls? Who do you think has a bigger body count? What’s your body count Jake?”
Paul buried his head in his hands, while Tyson mocked the youngster and asked the crowd: “Where is this kid’s mother?”
Martin carried on, asking Paul whether he thought his body count was higher, before embarking on an odd tirade. “Type s**t. We outside! Gaw Gaw. Boom b***h. Ahhh,’ he said, adding: “I love you guys motherf***er.”