NEW YORK — Mike Tyson is 58 years old and is coming off a health scare that forced him to postpone his return to the ring.
The boxer, once considered the most dangerous man in the world, may be putting himself in danger by putting on the gloves again. However, he was quick to respond on Sunday when asked why he was going ahead with his fight against Jake Paul.
“Because I can. Who else can do it but me? Who else is he going to fight to do it?” Tyson said, gesturing to the crowd at a packed news conference where fans cheered the former heavyweight champion and booed Paul.
“We just have to listen to the facts. We have a YouTuber fighting the greatest boxer who ever lived.”
Tyson and Paul have resumed preparations for their fight, which is now scheduled for Nov. 15 at the home of the Dallas Cowboys in Arlington, Texas. They had been scheduled to face each other on July 20, but Tyson suffered nausea and dizziness on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles in May. His representatives attributed the episode to an ulcer problem.
Tyson said Sunday that he resumed training two or three weeks ago and is feeling fine.
“Hey, listen, I'm ready,” Tyson said.
The undisputed heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990, Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) retired in 2005 before returning for an exhibition bout against Roy Jones in 2020. Fans seemed excited about his return, and several were turned away Sunday because too many showed up for the fighters’ news conference on the final day of the Fanatics Fest event in New York.
Paul (10-1, 7 KOs) sparred with both the fans who booed him and the fighter on the other side of the stage.
“Hey New York, you're just like Mike Tyson,” Paul said. “You were good 20 years ago.”
In reality, Tyson's days of peak dominance are much further behind him and Paul understands he probably wouldn't be given much credit for a win against such a weakened opponent. However, the former Disney Channel star, who insists he will become a boxing champion, said there is a benefit to fighting Tyson even now.
“Big moments, big pressure, big stages, one of the best to ever do this, more experience than me, more fights than me, I'm going to learn a lot in this fight and through this training camp,” Paul said. “So this is helping me in my future fights and everything I want to accomplish.”
He accepted a fight after Tyson had to retire, stopping bare-knuckle fighting champion Mike Perry in the sixth round on July 20. Perry, like many of the fighters on Paul's resume, comes from the world of mixed martial arts, rather than having a boxing background.
He then preferred to fight Tyson and now he is eager for his second chance.
“I was ready, you needed a little rest,” he told Tyson. “Does your tummy still hurt?”
The fight streaming on Netflix will be an official bout, albeit one contested over eight two-minute rounds and heavier gloves than usual. The most authentic boxing match on the card could be the one preceding it, when super lightweight champion Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano have a rematch of Taylor’s thrilling 2022 victory in the first women’s boxing match to headline Madison Square Garden.
Paul will then try to prove what he hopes to become in boxing, or perhaps Tyson can prove what he once was. He said his health problems will not stop him from doing so.
“I had a little setback. I got sick, but I'm better,” Tyson said. “I feel good.”
