Mike Tyson has made a worrying comment about his body 10 weeks out from his return to professional boxing.
It was pure chaos on Tuesday as the former heavyweight champ faced off with Jake Paul at the iconic Apollo Theatre in Harlem, New York.
The 57-year-old hasn’t fought professionally since 2005, but is back talking smack like he never left the sport.
However, he might have given away a bit too much when discussing his motivation.
Tyson admitted his “body is s***,” in an interesting call just weeks after the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations caused uproar by sanctioning the contest as a professional fight with minimal safety regulations.
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Tyson spoke openly about his physical condition months out from the fight, which will be a heavyweight bout on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Texas.
In between Tyson’s comments there was chaos as a child hijacked the microphone at one point during the official conference to ask the fighters what their “body count” was.
Paul also “fired” an employee of his Betr gambling company on the spot when Betr mascot “Derek” stepped up to the microphone to say Tyson was going to knock Paul out.
Tyson also pretended to land some punches to Paul’s midsection as they faced off in front of the cameras.
Why is Tyson, a boxing legend and one of the most famous — and infamous — athletes of all time, fighting a 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer?
“It was a no-brainer,” a jovial Tyson, dressed in all black, said.
“He’s the new up-and-coming guy on the scene. I like shaking the sports world to its core, and I’m doing that now. It’s just something I want to do.”
Tyson dismissed critics who are sceptical of his age and just how capable he still can be inside the ring.
And beyond his ability, whether it presents a health risk.
“No one else can do this,” Tyson said. “Who else can shut the sporting world down? No one else can do it.”
Paul has leveraged his massive social media following to a new endeavour in boxing, bringing large audiences to each of his fights. He owns a 9-1 professional boxing record with six knockout victories.
The bout has been officially sanctioned as a heavyweight fight, meaning it will count on both fighters’ records. Tyson owns a 50-6-2 record, with 44 knockouts.
The intrigue in seeing Tyson fight again coupled with Paul’s following has helped make what is expected to be an extremely lucrative fight for both in one of the country’s largest venues.
Paul hasn’t fought many professional boxers — the majority of his bouts have come against ex-UFC stars (Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz), other YouTubers (Ali Eson Gib) or even an ex-NBA star in Nate Robinson. He lost by split decision to Tommy Fury, a professional boxer, in 2023, though he has two wins over low-level pros Andre August and Ryan Bourland.
“I know I will be able to [take Tyson’s power],” Paul said. “I’m a natural-born heavyweight. … I’m gonna show Mike who has more power. I think he’s underestimating me, I think everyone else is underestimating me.”
The two were largely respectful of each other, often choosing to praise rather than belittle the other. It was a far cry from Tyson’s press conferences in his prime, and he hardly seemed to be taking it too seriously, cracking jokes rather than insults. Tyson and Paul smiled as they faced off for the first time, with Tyson throwing a few playful jabs at Paul.
Clearly, they both know they’re about to make each other a lot of money.
But Tyson delivered one stern warning Paul’s way. Once the punches start flying, will he revert back to his old self?
“I really like Jake a lot,” Tyson said. “But once he’s in that ring, he’s gotta fight like his life is depending on it. Because it will be.”