Mike Tyson promises ‘carnage,’ vows to ‘finish’ Jake Paul in July fight
Mike Tyson isn’t concerned about his upcoming boxing match with influencer Jake Paul — who’s 30 years his junior.
The former heavyweight champ, who retired in 2005, is scheduled to duke it out with the YouTube star on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The bout will be livestreamed on Netflix.
“Anybody [is a] threat [when] there’s two men in the ring, everybody’s a threat,” Tyson said when asked about the rising prizefighter, but added that he doesn’t see Paul as a “formidable opponent.”
“I don’t think so, but we’ll see,” he said at a Thursday press conference. “I’m not concerned about anything. If I was concerned, I wouldn’t be here talking to you.”
The testosterone ran high after Tyson told the crowd he’s “going to finish [Paul],” promising “carnage, really bad stuff.”
“I gave him his warning: Fight like your life depends on it because it does,” Tyson said.
Responding to the audience chanting “F–k Jake Paul!,” the 27-year-old athlete rose to the challenge, saying he hopes they “keep the same energy when I knock this old man the f–k out.”
Despite the smack talk, both boxers have previously praised the other. In a 2022 appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Tyson said Paul is “doing so much for boxing.”
In response, Paul told ET, “When one of the greatest boxing legends of all time in the history of the sport is supporting me, saying that I’m saving the sport, what else do I need? … It means the world. Uncle Mike’s an amazing person.”
Tyson, who turns 58 three weeks before the match, last publicly boxed in a 2020 exhibition fight with fellow retired heavyweight champion Roy Jones, Jr. That Los Angeles bout ended in a draw.
At that same exhibition, Paul — who recently bulked up to 230 pounds to contend in the heavyweight class — knocked out former New York Knicks player Nate Robinson on the undercard of that fight. He currently holds a record of 9-1, with six wins coming by way of knockout.
