Mike Tyson will make good on his family promise to never fight Jake Paul, a much-loved figure in his household. The 57-year-old former heavyweight will face Paul, who is 30 years his junior, on July 20 at the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
This will be Tyson’s first fight since November 2020, when he faced fellow boxing great Roy Jones Jr, and his first professional fight since a TKO loss to Kevin McBride in June 2005. The fight will be streamed live on Netflix, but we will see Tyson break his promise to his family.
Asked on Full podcast upload in 2021 if he could knock out Paul, Tyson said: “Yes ——- straightforward. Yes, but I would never do that. I would be against my own ——- family. They love that little white ———— Know what I mean? He’s got balls. When you see a white boy with balls, you know what I’m really talking about, but —- you ————. Yeah, but no, man, let him reign ——-.
Tyson enters the July fight after suffering a medical emergency caused by a flare-up of an ulcer during a weekend trip from Miami to Los Angeles. “Iron Mike” fell ill and required the support of paramedics after landing at LAX airport, but it was confirmed that the former boxer was vigorous.
“Fortunately, Mr. Tyson is feeling great. He experienced nausea and dizziness due to a flare-up of an ulcer 30 minutes before landing. He is grateful to the medical staff who helped him,” the statement reads. More than 90,000 fans are expected to attend Tyson’s professional return this summer.
“It’s crazy, but I think the stadium will fit as many people as 90,000 or 93,000,” he told TMZ Sports. “I think the film will be packed to the brim, with worldwide viewership possibly reaching into the hundreds of millions. It’s crazy and doesn’t make any sense, but the fact that Netflix is a part of it is the perfect piece of the puzzle.
“That makes it the perfect three: the Netflix audience, my audience and Mike Tyson’s audience. And for children at home: [it says] don’t listen to the critics. Do this and don’t be afraid to kick down the doors of opportunity because you never really know where it will take you.”
Tyson attacked Paul during the press conference, saying: “I don’t know if he’s in great shape. He’s fat. He should be lean and mean. It’s stout and snazzy. I saw him without a shirt the other day, he’s fat. Have you started training yet?”