Mike Tyson admitted he’s feeling pre-fight jitters about stepping into the ring with Jake Paul for their July showdown in Arlington, Texas. However, this is just part of Iron Mike’s usual pre-fight routine.
Last night in an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News, the prolific pugilist explained how fear gave him an edge. “I have a weird personality,” Tyson told Hannity. “I don’t think it’s weird though. Whatever I’m afraid to do, I do it. And that’s how it is.”
The youngest heavyweight champion in history admitted that he was scared leading up to his 2020 match against Roy Jones Jr. “I was 100 pounds overweight, I was however old, 54, 53, and I said ‘Let’s do it.’ Anything I’m afraid of, I confront it. And that’s my personality.”
“Right now, I’m scared to death,” the Baddest Man on the Planet said about his upcoming bout with social media influencer turned exhibition boxer Jake Paul.
However, as the match draws near, Kid Dynamite will feel less jitters. “As the fight gets closer, the less nervous I become,” Tyson explained. “It’s reality and in reality, I’m invincible,” he added.
Tyson said that feeling fear hints towards victory, highlighting his readiness for the fight with the 27-year-old Paul.
“I always believed that adversity and nervousness pretty much catapulted me into success,” Tyson said. “If I didn’t have these feelings, I wouldn’t go into this fight. I have to have these feelings to fight. Without them, I would never go in the ring.”
Mike Tyson Says Jake Paul is Going to ‘Try to Hurt Me’
Mike Tyson also pushed back on critics of Jake Paul. Many boxing fans feel that Paul is something of a huckster who only challenges fighters inexperienced or over-the-hill boxers.
“I saw a YouTube of him at 16 doing weird dances. That’s not the guy I’m gonna be fighting,” Tyson recalled. “This guy is gonna come, he’s gonna try to hurt me, which I’m accustomed to, and he’s gonna be greatly mistaken.”
Paul (9-1, 6 KOs) and Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) are set to battle at AT&T Stadium, the iconic home of the Dallas Cowboys. Tyson turns 58 on June 30, which will mark a 31-year age difference between him and Paul.
Tyson’s last fight was in November 2020 against Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition match in Los Angeles, his first professional fight in over 15 years. Paul achieved consecutive knockouts against professional boxers and Golden Glove winners Ryan Bourland (March 2024) and Andre August (December 2023).