Mike Tyson says he’s nervous and scared to step into the ring with Jake Paul in an exhibition fight scheduled for July 20 in Arlington, Texas.
But that’s normal for the 57-year-old former heavyweight champion, who explained in a recent interview why fear is part of his plan for success.
“I have a strange personality.” Tyson told Fox News’ Sean Hannity. Tuesday evening. “I don’t think it’s weird. Anything I’m scared to do, I’ll do. It is what it is. I was scared of Roy. [Jones Jr. fight [in 2020].
“Even though I was 100 pounds overweight and I was 54 or 53 years old, I said, ‘Let’s do it.’ Whatever I’m afraid of, I’m going to face it. And that. is my personality. I’m scared to death right now.
“The closer I get to the game, the less nervous I am because this is real and the reality is I’m invincible.”
Tyson went on to explain that feeling fear is a sign of victory and that he would never have agreed to fight the 27-year-old Paul if he wasn’t ready.
“I always believed that adversity and tension lead me to success,” he said. “If I didn’t have that feeling, I wouldn’t be in this fight. You have to have that feeling to fight. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have stepped into the ring. I guess.”
Tyson said Paul has “come a long way from YouTube” and is making “bizarre” videos on the internet.
Reuters
Reuters
“I saw him on YouTube doing some weird dance at 16 years old. That’s not someone I would fight,” Tyson said. “This guy is going to come and try to hurt me, I’m used to it, and he’s going to make a big mistake.”
Paul (9-1, 6 KOs) vs. Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) will take place at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, and will be streamed live exclusively on Netflix.
The boxing legend, who will be 58 by the time he steps into the ring with Paul (his birthday is June 30), isn’t worried about the 31-year age gap.
“I’m 58 years old, so what? Just talking about fighting with someone gets billions of views.” Tyson told Reuters.
Both fighters have been touting a blockbuster fight.
“Everyone is jealous, including most athletes. It’s terrible,” Tyson said. “They say we didn’t get a million people in our heyday. What are you talking about? You couldn’t sell out an arena. Who at 58 years old could sell out an 80,000-seat arena? ”
Tyson told UFC commentator Joe Rogan on a 2022 episode of his “Hot Boxing” podcast that he only fights Paul for one reason. It was to break the record for pay-per-view purchases.
Tyson hasn’t fought since November 2020, when he faced Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition bout in Los Angeles. This was his first professional match in over 15 years.
Paul has consecutive knockout wins over professional boxers and Golden Globe Award winners Ryan Borland (March 2024) and Andre August (December 2023).
The Tyson vs. Paul fight marks the first-ever partnership between Netflix and Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP).
