NEW YORK – Twenty-two years after he bit Lennox Lewis on the leg and threatened to sexually assault a reporter during an infamous Manhattan press conference, the sensible adult in the room on Monday was a much gentler Mike Tyson.
When a foul-mouthed child called Tyson and Jake Paul “fucking legends” and asked which of them “has the higher body count,” the reformed former heavyweight champion jokingly replied, “Where’s that kid’s mother?”
The remainder of the press conference at Harlem’s iconic Apollo Theater was relatively uneventful and looked nothing like the circus spectacle many had expected.
Tyson, 57, and Paul, 27, repeatedly showed respect for each other as they talked about their eight-round heavyweight fight. Tyson even admitted they were friends, but the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history promised skeptics that he would make a legal attempt to knock out the polarizing Paul on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
“I really, really like Jake,” Tyson said. “You know, but once he gets in the ring, he has to fight like his life depends on it, because it will.”
There was no response from any fighter who insisted on wearing 14-ounce gloves, more padded than the customary 10-ounce gloves for heavyweight boxing matches. Tyson, however, admitted that he had insisted on two-minute rounds, which would clearly have favored the faded fighter, who will turn 58 before tonight’s fight.
“I wanted shorter rounds because I wanted more action,” Tyson said. “If we only have two minutes, we will fight more, more action.”
Paul (9-1, 6 KO) has never boxed above the cruiserweight limit of 200 pounds, but he expects to enter the ring at between 230 and 240 pounds to face Tyson (50-6, 44 KO, 2 NC). . Although he agreed to compete in Tyson’s weight class, Paul appreciates that the long-retired legend, who is 30 years his senior, was even willing to entertain the idea of facing an opponent who is in excellent physical condition.
According to Paul, it was Tyson’s team that contacted him a few weeks after signing the contracts, demanding that this fight be more than just an exhibition and would count on the records of both boxers.
“He was game,” Paul said. “I think he always wanted to do it. It’s been a long time coming. We talked to each other for years and finally made it happen on Netflix, the largest platform in the world. And things keep getting bigger and better. I mean the co-main event [the Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano rematch] – this is literally the story we are looking at here.
“And Mike wanted it. He wanted it to be a professional fight. He wants war and that’s why I respect that. I respect them for taking up this fight, for trying to put an end to me. Because that’s what all these warriors were trying to do, was end the YouTuber. And if Mike can do that, he’ll be a hero.”
It’s getting real: Jake Paul and Mike Tyson
Brooklyn-born Tyson “fought” modern-day Roy Jones Jr. at the show 3.5 years ago. But he hasn’t been in a fight that counts since giant underdog Kevin McBride forced him to quit after the sixth round in June 2005 at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C.
Regardless, Netflix’s unparalleled global reach could make the streaming service’s first foray into live combat sports the most-watched boxing match of the 21st.street age.
“I really believe there are a lot of people who, you know, see me as an arrogant asshole, which I am sometimes,” Paul said. “But I’m just having fun and entertaining the world. And I really think the older generation wants Mike to knock me out. But at the end of the day, there are also kids, middle schoolers, high schoolers and college students rooting for me and they want me to kill Mike.
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