Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul: Tyson’s health ‘perfect’ but precautions in place for fight

Moments before the interview at the Toyota Music Factory in Irving, Texas, members of Tyson’s team politely requested that the BBC Sport film crew keep their distance from the two-time world champion and handed out face masks.

Tyson is concerned about picking up illnesses during fight week, they said.

There have been questions about the legitimacy of this fight and whether Tyson – who is said to be earning as much as $20 million to take part – will treat it as a serious fight, despite it counting towards his pro record.

Once known as ‘the baddest man on the planet’, Tyson is perhaps the most controversial figure in boxing history.

He is a former undisputed champion, but in 1992 Tyson was convicted of rape and served three years of a six-year prison sentence.

Tyson won 50 of his 56 contests before retiring in 2005. He became the youngest heavyweight champion in history at the age of 20 and was the first heavyweight boxer to simultaneously hold the WBA, WBC and IBF titles in 1987.

He breathed noticeably heavily throughout the interview and typically gave short answers.

“I think he’s a great person, but as a fighter I think he’s inferior,” were his thoughts on Paul.

But after the interview, Tyson completed his open workout in front of fans without a problem, moving and punching with ease.

When asked what he thought about Paul comparing himself to the legend Muhammad Ali or saying he could beat Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, Tyson replied: “Everyone is entitled to their opinion.”

Tyson was engaged when asked about his own preparations.

“I’m in there with young guys, 25 and 28 years old, heavyweights. They’re not kind to me, my trainers aren’t kind to me,” he said.

“They let me know, ‘do you really want to do this?’. They put me to the test and I think I passed the test because I did my last day of sparring and training, so I believe I passed the test.”