Both fighters are facing off in New York ahead of their bout on July 20th.
Mike Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) has not fought in a professional match for 19 years, last facing Kevin McBride back in 2005. At the time, ‘Iron Mike’ was 38 years old and will be 58 when he steps into the ring to face Jake Paul (9-1, 6 KOs). This means that there will be an age gap of 31 years between the two contenders.
On July 20th at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and broadcasted by Netflix, the youngest heavyweight champion in history will return to a professional fight.
Even today, there is much debate about Tyson’s place among the greatest heavyweights in history, but what is undeniable is that his spectacular boxing made him the most media-covered fighter of the late ’80s and early ’90s, as well as the most devastating.
That magnetism remains intact, as seen during the press conference held by the former champion and his July 20th opponent, Jake Paul, at the Apollo Theater in New York.
Perhaps, if it were not a professional match, the fight might not have garnered as much attention, despite being scheduled for eight two-minute rounds with 14-ounce gloves (slightly more padded than the 10-ounce used in heavyweight bouts).
Yet, this matchup is already on everyone’s lips, including those who have only seen ‘Iron Mike’ through YouTube. Tyson, who appeared very relaxed, assured that he is taking this comeback seriously, and even joked: “I’m handsome but my body is shit right now. I’m in a lot of pain.”
‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ also issued a serious warning to his opponent: “I really like Jake [Paul] a lot, but once he steps into that ring, he has to fight as if his life depends on it… because it will.”
While it’s true that Paul appeared significantly bulkier during the event, various videos have shown that Tyson has greatly improved his physical shape. The Brooklyn native also left the door open for more fights: “Maybe we’ll do it afterward.”
Meanwhile, ‘The Problem Child’ expressed confidence in overcoming Tyson and noted that just as Tyson is called ‘Iron Mike’, he is known as ‘Titanium Jake’, and is sure he can take his punches.
