The 58 year old Tyson insists he’s healthy and fit coming into his boxing match against 27 year old Jake Paul in Arlington, Texas.
We’re just over two weeks removed from the Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul boxing match on Friday November 15th and the biggest question remains whether the bout will actually go down.
Several bookies offering odds for the fight see a -230 chance that the spectacle will be canceled. The general public also seem a little hesitant to drop money on the fight, and ticket prices for the elderly boxer vs. YouTuber event at AT&T Stadium have dropped over the past few days.
According to Mike Tyson himself, he’s feeling great and not just capable of getting his 58-year-old self into the ring, but of going eight rounds with the 27 year old Paul.
“Everything’s sorted out,” Tyson told TalkSport when asked about his health. “I had an ulcer problem. I was eating bad food.”
He also had an interesting way of presenting the ticket sales for the event as they stood now.
“We already sold Dodger Stadium out,” he said. “The amount of people that fit Dodger Stadium, we already sold that out already.”
Dodger Stadium is a 56,000 seat stadium while AT&T Stadium is 80,000 seats, or up to 105,000 with standing room. 56,000 tickets sold is no small feat … unless you’re trying to sell 100,000. In that case, you’re just over 50% of the way there. For Tyson, though, he’s using the numbers as motivation.
“At 58, I’m going to fight in the biggest arena ever, it’s going to be sold out, and who else can do that?” he asked. “It means I have to perform. It gives me all the inspiration, it lets me know, ‘Boy you better perform tonight.’ It’s time to perform.”
Gene Kilroy has known me since I was 13 #behindthemike pic.twitter.com/pyE9Gx9fZB
— Mike Tyson (@MikeTyson) October 25, 2024
Tyson admitted he felt his age some days but insisted he was prepared for more than just a TikTok video’s worth of padwork, which is what we’ve seen online of his training.
“Sometimes I try to overdo it and realize, ‘Hey, you need to chill out for a day or two,’” he said.
“Monday and Tuesday I boxed eight rounds,” Tyson continued. “Every day I box eight rounds, three minute rounds. We brought in some big strong guys to help me push some guys around, fight them. I got a lot of movers, a couple of big guys that I pretty much go head-to-head [with].”
As for what he thinks of his opponent Jake Paul?
“He’s a good little fighter. But he only has 10 fights. That’s considered an amateur in our field,” Tyson said. “I see him running around, I’ll have to catch him and slaughter him … Whoever’s in that ring, they have a problem. Don’t go in the ring if you don’t want that problem.”