Mike Tyson is ready for the fight. After the official weigh-ins on Thursday evening at the Toyota Music Factory Tyson, 58, slapped 27-year-old Paul during their final face-off ahead of their showdown set for Friday night at AT&T Stadium. Eventually, Tyson had to be dragged away from the YouTuber.
The sudden flare-up of Tyson’s infamous “Baddest Man on the Planet” persona sparked a scuffle on stage and triggered a loud reaction from the social media star. Security personnel had to quickly step in to pull them apart, while Paul playfully began slapping his own face and laughed. When initially asked why he slapped Paul, Tyson said simply: “Talk is over.”
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Paul quickly went from laughing it off to launching into an expletive-laden rant. “It’s personal now,” Paul raged. “Now he’s got to die.” This fueled concerns shared by many, worried about the risks facing a 58-year-old boxer trying to make a comeback two decades after his last professional bout.
“I didn’t even feel it,” Paul said. “He’s angry, he’s an angry little elf. Mike Tyson, I thought that was a cute slap buddy, but tomorrow you’re gonna get knocked the f–k out. I’m f–king him up, I’m f–king him up. He hits like a bitch. It’s personal now. It’s personal now. He must die.”
While Paul vowed to make Tyson pay, “Iron Mike” had already left the stage, quietly saying, “Talk is over” as he walked away.
A light slap to the cheek was nothing compared to the fear Tyson instilled in his opponents during his reign as world heavyweight champion.
However, his fighting spirit is undeniably back. In that sense, his 58 years are evident.
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When questioned again about why he slapped Paul, Tyson explained that it was because Paul had stepped on his toe. “I was in my socks and he had on shoes,” Tyson told The New York Post moments after the weigh-in.
“He stepped on my toe because he is a f—ing a–hole. I wanted to think it happened by accident. But now I think it may have happened on purpose.
“I was in a lot of pain. I had to reciprocate.”
When asked if he planned to knock Paul down in their fight, which will stream on Netflix on Friday, Tyson confidently answered, “Yes!”
A representative for Tyson explained that the slap was a reaction to Paul’s constant provocation. Speaking to outlet, the representative said, “Jake has been poking the bear the whole time. Mike slapped the s–t out of him.”
Tyson didn’t hold back his opinion on YouTube star Paul. “He’s more of a clown than an entertainer. He’s a clown. He needs to stop playing,” Tyson said.
Despite not having fought in an official match in 19 years, Tyson expressed no concern about facing a much younger opponent, adding, “I don’t worry about anything but winning.”
