LAS COLINAS, Texas — What year is it?
No, I don't have a time machine. There is no fountain of youth.
There is no secret elixir that will bring him back to his prime.
But even in the penultimate month of 2024, Mike Tyson is still at the center of a major event.
“I'm ready to fight,” Tyson said Wednesday. “I've said everything I wanted to say. I have nothing else to say. I'm just looking forward to fighting.'' [amount of] People speak for themselves. ”
Now 58 years old, he is not in charge of this promotion himself.
This time, he has a dance partner in Jake Paul who will help him connect with the next generation of fans.
The 27-year-old YouTuber turned boxer has a knack for attracting huge fans and viewers.
His ability to connect with young followers on social media, whether positive or more often negative, has built great intrigue over his career.
It supercharged his boxing career, earned him a big paycheck, and reached a huge platform that no other fighter could reach at this stage of their career.
Together, Tyson and Paul created an event where almost no one knew what was going to happen.
The two held their final press conference Wednesday at the Toyota Music Center ahead of Wednesday night's highly anticipated game at AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys.
The fight will be streamed live on Netflix and will be available for subscribers to watch for free without pay-per-view, making it the first-ever boxing match to be streamed by the company.
Both men are expected to earn huge amounts of money, with Paul expected to earn around $40 million and Tyson around $20 million.
Paul predicts 20 million people will watch, but Netflix doesn't even need to come close to that number to make history.
Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao in 2015 drew 4.6 million viewers as the most-watched boxing match in history. Nakisa Bidalian, who co-founded Most Valuable Promotions with Paul, claimed attendance was on track to reach 65,000.
“I'm fortunate to be in a position where I'm subject to harsh criticism,” Paul said. “It means I'm doing something right. No one has had a better career in boxing than I have. It's going to be studied and judged, but the fact that I've risen to the top in four years Because I took a risk.”
Tyson (50-6-2, 44 KOs), one of the biggest legends and villains in the history of the sport, hasn't fought professionally since losing to Kevin McBride in 2005, but Roy Jones Jr. I have fought in a match with. 2020 exhibition.
Tyson suffered an inflammatory ulcer on a plane in May, and the fight was postponed from July 20 to Friday.
To say the least, there's not much precedent for a 58-year-old recovering from an inflamed ulcer to step into the ring and take a punch.
Paul (10-1, 7 KOs) has fought influential peers, mixed martial artists turned boxers, athletes from other sports, and lower-level professional boxers.
To make this match even more unique, although it is an officially sanctioned heavyweight match where the performance of both fighters is considered important, there will be eight two-minute rounds (instead of 10 rounds as is common in non-title fights). ) is done. A standard 3 minute round in boxing.
Also, to reduce the impact of punches, both fighters will wear larger 14-ounce gloves instead of the heavyweight standard 10-ounce gloves.
All this raises so many questions that should be answered immediately.
Does Tyson really have anything left?
Is it safe for him?
Can Paul actually box or was his entire career just a ploy for money?
Is this something that could support boxing and provide a new medium to watch live sports, or is it a one-off designed to shock viewers into watching?
Should we take this seriously despite the different rules?
Anyone's guess is as good as anyone else's. That mystery has sparked great interest in this battle.
“I'm not going to lose,” Tyson said in a rare animated moment. “Did you hear what I said?”
Hundreds of fans packed into the Toyota Music Center on Wednesday. Alcohol flowed in the audience, the smell of marijuana wafted through the venue, and screams from the crowd continued to disrupt the combatants on stage.
Tyson rarely spoke complete sentences, never collecting more than a few words at a time, even when host Ariel Helwani asked him multiple questions.
Paul went on an expletive-filled rant against reporters, berated the undercard players who predicted he would lose, and challenged everyone to bet on him.
The circus has begun.
“Someone's being put to sleep,” Paul said. “It's going to be a war, and we're both heavy hitters. It won't go the whole 16 minutes.”
