Mike Tyson has cautioned Jake Paul against boxing himself into a corner when they face off in the ring.
Renowned boxing icon 'Iron Mike' makes his return to the ring on July 20th, facing YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul at the AT&T Stadium, located in Texas and home to the Dallas Cowboys. The fight will be telecasted live at the Netflix.
The precise regulations governing the bout remain uncertain, given Tyson's prolonged absence from professional boxing, with his solitary match against Roy Jones Jr. in November 2020 classified as an exhibition.
Tyson, renowned for his unparalleled knockout prowess in the archives of boxing, has commenced training for his upcoming bout against Paul, despite it being nearly four months away. Whilst posting a sparring clip from his heyday, Tyson warned Paul: "Once I have you in a corner, it's game over."
Paul opted out of a blockbuster bout against well-known adversaries for his last two fights, instead knocking out lesser-known boxers Andre August and Ryan Bourland. The social media sensation has faced significant backlash from traditional boxing enthusiasts since transitioning from internet stardom to the boxing arena, with his recent matchup against 'Iron Mike' drawing even more criticism.
On fight night, Paul will face a 30-year age gap with Tyson, who is 57 years old, and the latter will need to pass stringent brain and heart scans to be cleared for the bout. Despite claims from Tyson's previous opponent that he still packs the same punch as he did in his prime, Paul has cast doubt on the legendary boxer's power, questioning whether it's merely a 'myth'.
“I want to see how hard he hits. Mike, I really want to see, bro. Let’s see all the legends, the myths, because you’re Iron Mike Tyson, but I have an iron chin, people know that. I take shots. I think people are underestimating me being able to deal with his power, and that’s something that’s going to make it interesting," Paul said on his BS podcast.
"I am biting off a lot. This is definitely the toughest, most savage, lethal opponent regardless of age, because the power is the last thing to go. The reaction and reception of it is insane. I almost can’t even believe it, so very surreal and very, very grateful for all of that. We’re going to see. I’m excited. I literally can’t wait to look across the ring and see him and give him a death stare," he concluded.