Mike Tyson has admitted that he is putting his life on the line when he returns to the ring at the age of 58 next month.
The legendary boxing icon and former heavyweight world champion faces YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in one of the most anticipated and controversial fights of the year this November. And there are serious concerns for his health taking on an active professional half his age.
Tyson has competed just twice since his retirement in 2005; an exhibition in 2006 with Corey Sanders before a 2020 comeback fight with Roy Jones Jr. In the time since that Jones fight, Paul has fought nine times, the last three being vicious knockout wins.
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Mike Tyson claims he is ‘willing to die in the ring’ against Jake Paul
After being pulled out of his initial fight date with Paul back in July, it appears that ‘Iron Mike’ has managed to get himself in top condition for the heavyweight showdown. He is training six hours a day in order to get ready, including some sparring sessions that have been leaked.
But he does seem to be aware of the risk he is taking by stepping in the ring just a few months after his ulcer flare-up that saw the event delayed. He managed to get through eight rounds with Jones, but hasn’t fought since and is competing in a full professional bout this time around, albeit with altered rules.
And during a promotional video for the fight, he told cameras that it is all to to play for, including his life, when he faces Paul. “If I win, I’ll be immortal,” he said. “If I do it bad, I don’t want to die in a hospital bedroom, I want to die in the ring.”
The comment concerned boxing fans, with one writing that Tyson will be in trouble if he makes it out of the first two rounds. Another added that the entire event is “sad for boxing”.
Muhammad Ali’s former manager believes Mike Tyson is better than ever
Legendary manager of boxing icon Muhammad Ali, Gene Kilroy, visited Tyson during his training camp, with footage emerging from the meeting this week. Having known Tyson since he was 13 years old, Kilroy was taken aback by the shape he is in at the age of 58.
“This is the strongest I’ve ever seen you, the strongest I’ve ever seen you and I’ve known you since you were 13 years old,” Kilroy admitted to Tyson.
“I think this is so (amazing), this impressed the s*** out of me. Nothing impresses me. You know what, I’m gonna tell you the truth, I don’t lie. I was worried about him traveling here, traveling there, I can sleep now at night. This is great,” Kilroy went on to state.
He also made the sensational claim that Tyson is trying harder for this fight than he did for his bout with Lennox Lewis in 2002. At that point, the boxing icon had been through the ringer in and out of the ring, and his career was not going in a positive direction.
“I’m proud of you, Mike. I’m proud of you, it’s a new generation,” Kilroy noted before asking him: “You done more workouts than what I’ve seen you do the whole time you fought Lenox Lewis, am I right or wrong?” “Different era brother. It’s a whole new ball game,” Tyson replied.
Jake Paul has piled on size for Mike Tyson showdown
At one point in his fledgling fight career, Jake Paul seemed adamant about coming down in weight to pursue a bout with Canelo Alvarez. But now, he seems more interested in packing on the pounds as much as possible in his move up to heavyweight.
It’s believed that Paul’s best performances have come around the 185lb mark, but in recent fights he has been fighting right on the brink of the cruiserweight limit at 199lb. And he is believed to have bulked to as heavy as 230lb in order to face Tyson, who tipped the scales at around 220lb to face Jones in 2020.
A recent video shared to social media by Most Valuable Promotions showed Paul and his MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian meeting with Amanda Serrano at an event. She will take on Katie Taylor in the co-main event on November 15 at the AT&T Stadium, in an historic world title rematch.
Paul can be seen in the video talking about how they both have to “go up in weight”, to which Bidarian jokes that he’s “getting girthier and girthier”. He then declares that he is now “really a heavyweight, a true heavyweight,” and feeling good, to which she concurs.
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