Heavyweight colossus Zhilei Zhang admitted he would consider fighting Jake Paul in the future because it opens the door for him to a “money grab” fight. The Chinese powerhouse last fought in June when he defeated former WBC world champion Deontay Wilder with a brutal fifth-round knockout.

The victory saw the 41-year-old rebuild his reputation in the ring, defiantly responding to his defeat in March in his fight for the interim WBO heavyweight title against Joseph Parker. Despite defeating the latter twice in this contest, he lost by majority decision – thanks to his determination to re-establish his position in the weight class clearly observable in his match with Wilder.

After picking up arguably the most crucial victory of his career in his last fight, “Massive Bang” now sets his sights on a flashy fight against Paul. In an exclusive interview for Express, organized by Ace coursesresponded to speculation that he might take on the internet sensation in the future, saying: “Yes, I will. And who wouldn’t like to earn some money?

“If that happens, it will be a money grab. All jokes aside, he’s fighting Mike Tyson, who is my idol growing up. I feel like at 50, 60 he’s still there, training challenging and trying to hit with the youngsters, I feel like that’s great motivation. I wish him all the best.

Before any hypothetical fight between the pair can be arranged, Paul will face legendary former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson for the first time this month. Giving his verdict on the fight’s validity as a competition, Zhang said: “I know a lot of people have their own opinions on this fight and whether it should happen.

“But in my opinion, when I was growing up, I watched Mike Tyson fight and I think he’s like a god of war. Now, in his 60s, he’s fighting a guy in his 20s, which is already an amazing achievement. I really hope all the best for him and I wish him all the best and good luck.”

As for his own reputation after defeating Wilder, the Chinese fighter admitted that the victory potentially discouraged his peers from getting into the ring with him. He continued: “It’s a double-edged sword. The good thing is that after losing to Parker in March, I was a little unhinged, but after winning I got back into contention.

That’s what’s good about it. Thanks to this, my career got back on track. The negative side is that after knocking out Wilder, people look at me like I’m from another planet. They don’t want to fight me. They look at me like someone they want to avoid at all costs.

“This puts me and my team in a tough position when it comes to scouting opponents and securing massive fights. I really feel like elite heavyweights should just come and face me and just let it happen.”

That said, after his stunning victory over Anthony Joshua, Zhang has set his sights on fighting IBF world heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois next year. He added: “Well, definitely yes, but I don’t think it will happen this year because we are coming to the end, but hopefully in 2025 it will happen. Daniel, if you want to fight me, send me the contract and I’ll sign it right away.”

Mike Tyson has detailed how he “nipped it in the bud” when another inmate targeted him while serving his sentence. The boxing icon found himself behind bars in 1992 after a rape conviction in Indiana.

He was sentenced to six years plus four years probation. Despite being paroled for good behavior after serving less than half of his term at the Indiana Youth Center, Tyson’s stay at the center was not without incident.

In a November 1998 interview with Playboy, he discussed the unique lively and revealed his reaction when people picked on him. He would be like this if someone attacked him in prison.

“People will try you,” Tyson replied. “They will try their best. You have to be a man. They will try anyone. They will start by saying something entertaining, something sarcastic, to see how far they can go.

“But you nip it in the bud. You don’t let anyone get away with saying something entertaining or sarcastic. You have to show who you are right away.

“That’s what I do. This is who I am. I am a settler. This is where I am in glory. There is chaos everywhere. Yes, they tried me several times.”

The interviewer then asked if anyone had pulled a knife on him. “They had them, but they didn’t have anything I didn’t have,” he replied, implying that he was well prepared himself.

Iron Mike had numerous legal problems before, during and after his professional career, but his life has since changed. Now he is set to add a 59th fight to his record of 50 wins, six losses and two no contests.

He will face YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul next Friday (November 15) at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The fight, which will be streamed live on Netflix, will see Tyson aiming to overcome the 30-year age gap with Paul, who faces the daunting prospect of facing one of the most powerful fighters in history.

Former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world Mike Tyson has rejected the notion that money is his motivation for his upcoming fight with Jake Paul. The boxing legend (58) makes a sensational return to the ring against the juvenile American on November 15 at the ATandT Stadium in Texas, with the participation of up to 80,000 fans.

The two fighters were originally scheduled to face off in July, but “Iron Mike” had to withdraw due to a recurrence of ulcers during the flight. Despite his health problems, Tyson insists he is ready to return to the square footage next week.

Tyson hasn’t fought professionally since losing to Kevin McBride in 2005, with his last victory coming in 2003 when he knocked out Clifford Etienne in the first round. However, he took part in an exhibition match against Roy Jones Jr in 2020, which ended in a predictable draw after eight rounds.

As for “The Problem Child,” Paul has made waves in the sport since his professional debut in 2020. He enters the fight fresh off a knockout victory over former UFC star Mike Perry in July. With a professional record of 10-1, his only loss so far was to Tommy Fury last year.

58-year-old boxing icon Mike Tyson says his motive for returning to the ring is not money. Tyson’s current earnings come primarily from his cannabis ventures; instead, he seeks the thrill of risk by coming face to face with Jake Paul.

“I could wait for a cannabis check every day,” Tyson remarked at the Cage Wars MMA event. “To me it’s nonsense. I am a man. I want to go out there and expose myself to Sometimes I want to see who I really am. I want to see what I can really do. I want to perform in front of the whole world. This is all I’ve known how to do since I was 14. This fight won’t change my life enough financially. This is what I want to do.

Tyson also recently admitted that he still struggles with health problems, admitting that he has difficulty walking, but is determined to be in peak condition before the fight: “It’s challenging to walk at the moment,” he stated. “But in two months I will be perfect. The fight is won in the gym. Listen, I’ll do anything to assist me. I’m going to have fun here today with all my childhood friends, and hell with Jake Paul.”

Despite a barrage of criticism since the fight was confirmed, Paul, 27, denied claims that money was the main motivation for their fight. “Making history. That’s what I mean, man,” he declared.

“I’m an Ohio kid. […] They will never acknowledge me. That’s how it is. If I walked on water, they would say it was because I couldn’t swim. And this is to make history. People think I’m going to get knocked out by this robust, powerful guy.”