YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul, 27, faces arguably the biggest test of his fledgling career as he takes on former heavyweight champion Tyson at Dallas’ 80,000-capacity AT&T Stadium on Friday night.
Paul has enjoyed success since becoming a professional boxer but many of his 10 wins have come against fighters perceived to be past it or on the decline.
His sole defeat came against Tyson Fury’s younger brother Tommy in February 2023. Tommy has only fought one since then and appears to have parked his boxing career for the time being.
‘Iron Mike’ established himself as one of the greatest boxers of all time during the late 1980s and 1990s but turned 58 over the summer and has not fought a professional fight in almost two decades.
The pair were initially due to meet in the ring in July but that date had to be pushed back on medical grounds after Tyson suffered an ‘ulcer flare up’.
Both fighters have been working hard to get in shape for Friday’s bout, with Tyson showing off his incredible transformation and punching power on various social media clips.
Paul and those around him are more than aware of Tyson’s threat, with his mum Pam Stepnick unable to watch videos of the legendary boxer in training out of fear.
Asked whether he was concerned about Tyson’s knockout power, Paul said during the pair’s face-to-face on MVP: ‘Yeah… yes! Indeed.
‘I have to be alert. This is a scary, scary man. He’s a killer and has the power still, judging by his sparring videos.
‘My mum has messaged me… she can’t even watch Tyson punch or train, she won’t watch it because it scares her.
‘He has one of the most deadly uppercuts of all time so of course I have to be ready and know he’s going to have some moments in there and I’m going to have to persevere.’
Despite being impressed by Tyson’s training camp ahead of their fight, Paul is adamant he will emerge victorious and ‘outbox’ one of the greatest to step into the ring.
‘This is my time,’ he said when asked why he believes he will win the fight. ‘The god’s have showed this to me.
‘I’m going to be faster and stronger. I’m going to show the world that I outboxed Mike Tyson and that’s f****g wild to say.
‘I’m excited man. It’s going to be a beautiful night.’
Responding to Paul’s comments, Tyson said his opponent had a ‘great imagination’ and insisted he would get the job done.
The veteran said: ‘I’m Mike Tyson. He has a great imagination. I’m just ready. I’m ready for this. Let’s go.’
Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson will be available to stream live globally on all Netflix plans, at no additional cost to subscribers.
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