Jake Paul and Mike Tyson will finally meet inside a boxing ring this weekend.
Initially scheduled for July, the fight was pushed back to Friday 15 November after former world heavyweight champion Tyson suffered a medical scare while on a flight between Los Angeles and Miami in May.
Boxing purists, of course, will likely be focused on the blockbuster rematch between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano on the undercard but there can be little doubt about the huge crossover appeal of Paul’s match against Tyson.
It has been almost twenty years since ‘Iron Mike’ laced up a pair of gloves for an officially sanctioned bout, but his record (50-6, 44KOs) goes back on the line at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The 31-year age gap is clearly difficult to ignore but Tyson has been showing off a ripped physique in training. Muhammad Ali's former manager Gene Kilroy last month visited the 58-year-old in the gym and declared: “This is the strongest I’ve ever seen you, and I’ve known you since you were 13.”
Ready.#PaulTyson pic.twitter.com/8engn1TTCj
— Mike Tyson (@MikeTyson) November 11, 2024
Speaking during a face-to-face sit-down interview earlier this week, Paul admitted he was getting “a little scared” watching his opponent in training.
“This is the baddest man on the planet, heavyweight, I mean just look at the guy sitting here right now, he’s an animal, he posts Instagram pictures and I get a little scared because of how good he looks,” Paul said during the interview posted on Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) YouTube account.
“I have to be alert, this is a scary scary man, he is a killer and has all the powers still, clearly, and all the videos and sparring that he’s showing, dropping sparring partners, my Mom is messaging me, she can’t even watch Tyson punch she won’t watch it because it scares her.
“He has one of the deadliest uppercuts of all time so of course I have to be ready and know that he’s going have some moments in there and I’m going to have to persevere.”
