Jake Paul has revealed Mike Tyson is “concerned” about their bout being put at risk, as the influencer prepares to fight Mike Perry this weekend.
Nearly 20 years after his last professional fight, Tyson was due to take on Paul in a surprise crossover bout on Saturday night, only for it to be postponed due to the 58-year-old suffering a recent ulcer flare-up.
A rescheduled date of November 15 has been set, both for Paul vs Tyson and Amanda Serrano’s much-anticipated rematch with Katie Taylor on the undercard.
Paul has opted to first find a new opponent for this weekend, though, and he will take on former UFC fighter Perry, who has been involved in bare-knuckle boxing over the last two years.
"This is a Mike appetiser," Paul said.
"A Mike warm-up, but they're both killers at the end of the day, and I do have to be sharp. He does have one punch knockout power that I do have to respect. But other than that, it's going to be easy.
"This is what I do. I'm here to fight. I love to take risks and do big events. Mike Tyson called and was concerned about this fight jeopardising the biggest fight of my career. That's what puts the pressure on me, and I love that. I'm not slowing down for anybody.
“Mike Perry is not going to be the one to stop me. I'm on a path to world championship. I'm not slowing down for anybody."
Paul’s fight with Tyson had surprisingly been sanctioned as a professional bout, after a review of both fighters from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. It was set to take place over eight two-minute rounds, with 14oz gloves rather than the standard 10oz.
There were significant concerns over Tyson’s health even before his recent scare, and heavyweight Deontay Wilder has slammed the commission’s decision to sanction the bout.
“He’s too old for this,” Wilder told Sportsbook Review.
“We can talk about the pros and cons, but at the end of the day, they don't give a f***. I don't think anyone cares about Mike because if they did they wouldn't sanction the fight.”
He added: “I don't want the last thing I remember of him is him getting knocked out by a Youtuber."
Tyson hit back at those comments, telling Esquire: “Then let Mike get hurt.
“You don’t have to worry about paying my bills. Everyone says this makes no sense, but he’s how old? He’s not who I am.
“He can’t go to Mongolia and have somebody know who the f*** he is."
