Mike Tyson rolled back the years with an aggressive approach in his open workout for Friday’s fight with Jake Paul, to the delight of the fans in attendance.
The former heavyweight champion, 58, will box YouTube star Paul, 27, at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas this week. The fight will stream live on Netflix in an unprecedented move.
And ahead of the controversial bout – Tyson’s first professional contest since 2005 – “Iron Mike” and Paul took to the ring inside Toyota Music Factory to run through some moves for fans.
Many videos of Tyson hitting pads have gone viral in recent years, with viewers often remarking that the American’s speed and power have remained intact.
And those attributes were on show at times during Tuesday’s open workout, with Tyson stepping into most of his jabs and frequently backing up his pad man to the ropes to throw combinations.
However, the pair did not always appear to be on the same page, with Tyson occasionally seeming to throw different combinations to those that were called.
It could have been down to the volume of the music inside Toyota Music Factory, but regardless, the fans in attendance appeared to appreciate Tyson’s efforts.
Then, when asked what he has learned about himself during his training camp, Tyson said: “That I’m tougher than I believed I was, because when I agreed to this fight and started training, I thought: ‘what the f*** am I thinking of?’ But now I’ve finished the process, the fight is the party.”
Later in the evening, Paul conducted his own open workout, before saying he felt “sharp, powerful, explosive”. He promised: “It’s gonna be a short night for Mike.
“It’s not about how long you’ve been doing something, it’s about how good you do it. On Friday, people are gonna see me outbox the person who’s been doing it their whole life. Friday, my dreams come true and my career starts [...] I will knock out Mike Tyson.”
The YouTube star has gone 10-1 (7 knockouts) as a pro boxer, scoring wins over numerous MMA fighters and lesser-known boxers.
