Jake Paul’s mum, Pam Stepnick, has taken a swipe at boxing legend Mike Tyson, labelling him a “bitch” following a heated confrontation with her son.
The altercation erupted when Tyson slapped the YouTube sensation during their face-off just before their highly anticipated fight. The clash escalated quickly after Tyson reportedly reacted to Paul stepping on his foot.
In the thick of the action, Pam Stepnick, who witnessed the scuffle from the crowd, didn’t hold back in her assessment while speaking to FightHype: “He’s a bitch,” she openly remarked, taking aim at the once undisputed heavyweight champion.
Following the fracas, Paul, also known as ‘The Problem Child’, fanned the flames with provocative remarks. He boldly claimed he would “kill” Tyson, dismissing the slap with dismissive banter.
“I didn’t even feel it. He’s angry. He’s an angry little elf,” Paul said. “Mike Tyson, I thought that was a cute slap, buddy, but tomorrow you’re getting knocked out.”
Paul then stirred up tensions by making it clear the fight had become personal, shouting: “It’s personal now,” and then escalating things by yelling, “He must die” into the microphone. In a dramatic twist post-weigh-in, there was a moment when Paul embraced his mother, who fiercely stated: “I’m going to kill Mike Tyson for you,” Sharing laughter with her son, Jake jested in return: “You slap harder than him.”
Tyson himself explained his side of events, noting that the clash ensued when Paul stepped on his foot, suggesting that it might not have been quite so accidental. “I was in my socks and he had on shoes,” Tyson said, as per the Irish Star.
‘Iron Mike’ initially wanted to assume it was an unintentional move, but later speculated on its deliberateness. “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.”
The 58-year-old once confessed a surprising vulnerability exclusive to his feet while discussing potential UFC ambitions with GQ, he said: “I don’t know what I would do in the UFC because I watched the UFC a couple of times, and I watched these guys step on people’s feet.
“And I have the worst feet in the world. And if somebody steps on my feet, I would totally tap out. I would just give up, it would be a no-brainer.”
Despite the remark from Paul’s mom, she has expressed concern for her son heading into the fight, with Paul himself revealing the extent of his parent’s worry.
“She will be there but my mom is very scared actually,” he said, as per Bloody Elbow. “Like, she keeps on asking me if I’m ready, asking my team if I’m ready. She’s not liking this one, to be honest. He (Tyson) just looks scary and big, and his Instagram videos on the mitts look crazy and everything, so I get it.”
Back in March, a video showed the influencer querying his anxious mother if she was aware he was signing up to fight Tyson, leading Pam to let out a nervous giggle before voicing her fear: “What if he knocks you out?”
Paul has won 11 of his 12 professional boxing fights so far, with his only defeat coming in a split-decision loss to Tommy Fury in February last year. His last bout was against MMA fighter Mike Perry in July where he beat the 33-year-old in the sixth round.
Friday night’s fight between Paul and Tyson is set for eight rounds, with each lasting two minutes. It will take place in Arlington, Texas and will be broadcast live around the globe on Netflix.
