Mike Tyson has delivered a chilling message to Jake Paul ahead of their highly-anticipated fight, vowing to go into the fight with “bad intentions”. The former heavyweight world champion has insisted he is fit and firing, shrugging off concerns about his health as he prepares to a fight the YouTube personality Paul, who is 31 years his junior.
The formidable Tyson, who has not fought since 2020, is set to end his four-year absence from professional boxing and come out of retirement at the age of 58.
He is scheduled to face Paul at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on November 15. The fight was initially slated for a July 20 date, before a medical issue for Tyson resulted in the fixture being pushed back by four months.
But with just over three weeks left to go until the two men step into the ring, Tyson sent an intimidating warning to Paul and claimed that he is going out to inflict damage and pain on his opponent.
“You can’t compare me with other people my age because the other people my age haven’t been training as long as me, as consistent as me,” Tyson told Fox 4.
“I’m just a different species of human being… I’m going in there with bad intentions. My intention is to hurt this young man [Jake Paul].
“[The fans] won’t believe the spectacle that’s going to happen. It’s going to be something they’ve never experienced before as far as pain is concerned.”
Tyson was originally scheduled to fight Paul in July, but the veteran fighter was forced to pull out due to an ulcer flare-up, which interrupted his training.
Instead, Paul took on former UFC star turned bare-knuckle boxer, Mike Perry, and it proved to be a decent warm-up as he prevailed in the sixth round via a technical knockout.
It represented another notch on his boxing record, having defeated the likes of Nate Diaz and Anderson Silva to rack up a 10-1 record – his sole defeat coming against Tommy Fury in February 2023.
The YouTuber, 27, is now firmly focused on fighting Tyson in what will surely prove to be the toughest bout of his budding career.
Tyson has enjoyed a remarkable career in the boxing ring, dating back to the 1990s and early 2000s when he was at his peak. He won WBA, WBC and IBF heavyweight titles by beating Tony Tucker, James Smith and Trevor Berbick respectively.
He has also been involved in some of boxing’s most memorable fights – from his enthralling battle with Evander Holyfield to a memorable clash with Lennox Lewis. But he has largely stayed away from the ring since 2005, pursuing a career in TV and film.
His most recent exhibition match was against Roy Jones Jr, which the WBC declared a draw after eight rounds. If Tyson performs anything close to how he did in that fight, his warning can be considered a genuine promise.
