Mike Tyson ready for fight, Jake Paul excited ahead of the Netflix fight

Jake Paul and Mike Tyson met the media in Arlington, Texas, ahead of their eight-round boxing match on Friday to cap off Netflix’s first foray into the world of sports.

Paul, a 27-year-old YouTube star turned professional boxer, has risen quickly in his quest for mainstream boxing credibility. In July, he knocked out UFC and Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship veteran Mike Perry to earn his fourth straight win and improve to 10-1 with seven KOs.

Facing Paul is former undisputed heavyweight champion Tyson, 58. The bout is Tyson’s first sanctioned professional boxing bout since losing to Kevin McBride in June 2005. Tyson retired shortly after. His last fight was an exhibition match against Roy Jones Jr. in November 2020.

Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) was a man of few words on Wednesday night, responding to critics predicting he is too old to compete at the highest level and confirming he is only focused on the fight against Paul and nothing before.

“I’m just ready to fight,” Tyson said.

He remained stoic throughout the event, answering only the questions assigned to him and allowing Paul to make bold predictions about how the match could go.

Paul asked nine of the 12 fighters on stage for Wednesday’s event to honor a spontaneous bet if he lost to Tyson. Stakes included putting fight purses on the line and as little as $20.

When asked if he wanted to fight real boxers (without Tyson), Paul deflected the question, but said his goal remains to be the biggest superstar the sport has ever seen.

“Just excitement,” Paul said. “Excitement. Big fights, big knockouts. A lot of fighters go in (the ring) and have boring (explosive) fights like Floyd Mayweather (Jr.) and I’ve brought a lot of excitement to the sport and knocked people out on the biggest platforms possible, going against the biggest names and getting the matchups fans want to see.”

Tyson said he doesn’t believe in the circus aspect of the fight, treating Paul like any other boxer.

“The people speak for themselves,” Tyson said as he addressed the plethora of champions on stage with him.

Paul vs. Tyson was originally scheduled for July 20 before Tyson’s stomach ulcer in late May forced a postponement. The game will take place at AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. According to moderator and MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, 70,000 fans are expected to attend with a limited supply of tickets still available.

The main card starts at 8:00 PM ET and includes four games. The co-feature is a rematch over two years in the making, with Ireland’s Katie Taylor vs. Puerto Rico’s Amanda Serrano for the undisputed super lightweight world title. Taylor won the first fight by split decision after 10 rounds to retain his lightweight crown on May 1, 2022 at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

–Field-level media