Mike Tyson has revealed what Jake Paul said after the former heavyweight world champion offered to fight the YouTuber-turned-boxer nearly four years ago.
The two boxing stars will finally go head-to-head in a blockbuster showdown on Friday night. The fight is scheduled to take place at the A&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, in front of up to 80,000 fans. The pair were due to face off back in July, however, 'Iron Mike' was forced to withdraw from the bout after suffering an ulcer flare up on a flight.
Since the fight was rebooked, many have slammed the decision to go ahead with the heavyweight dust-up. Fans are fearing for Tyson's health, as the boxing veteran will be 58 when he steps foot inside the squared-circle.
Those concerns were heightened after 'Iron Mike' revealed he was struggling to walk after training.
Mike Tyson will face Jake Paul in the ring on November 15. The fight will air exclusively on Netflix, which is available for free with Sky's latest TV deal.
Shoppers can get the Sky Stream bundle for £26 a month – or £29 on a monthly rolling plan – which comes with Netflix subscription at no extra cost
"It's hard to walk right now," he said while attending a Cage Wars event back in September. "But two months from now I'm going to be perfect. The fight is won in the gym.
"Listen, I’ll do anything that will help me. I'm going to enjoy my time here tonight with all my childhood friends, and the hell with Jake Paul."
The fight is four years in the making and Tyson recently revealed how Paul responded after the heavyweight icon offered the 27-year-old a fight in the ring.
In a chat with Interview Magazine, after Tyson revealed it was his idea to make the fight, the 58-year-old said: "Well at first he was saying, 'you really want to do it?'
"I said, 'Yeah.' He said, 'okay, let’s do it.' Just like that, real simple."
Paul has faced a lot of criticism since accepting the fight, but when Tyson was asked for his thoughts on the social media star entering the boxing game, 'Iron Mike' said: "Whenever you’re doing something right, there’s always going to be haters, okay? If you don’t have any haters, you have nothing. Hate attracts more money than love, I’ve noticed in my career."
While many feel as if Paul will get the job done simply because he's the more younger fighter, Tyson remains adamant that 'The Problem Child' doesn't have a shot against him: "I’m going to take him. I’m not anticipating going there and getting my a** kicked, no."
With just a few days to go until the fight, there are a few fans who believe the 58-year-old isn't taking the fight seriously. During a recent chat with Jimmy Kimmel, 'Iron Mike' claimed he was training six hours a day. "I am training extremely hard, I do six hours a day. I start at 11am and might leave the gym at 5pm," he said.
Kimmel looked stunned and replied: "Oh no. 11am? So that's six hours straight, or is there a lunch break?" The former heavyweight champion admitted there was a small break as a shocked Kimmel gasped: "Oh no."