Jake Paul has opened up about his disappointment when Mike Tyson had to postpone their scheduled boxing match.
The social media star-turned-boxer was set to face the legendary Tyson in July, but a medical issue forced the heavyweight icon to reschedule. Tyson, 58, suffered an ulcer flare-up on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles, leading to a hospital visit, where doctors found a bleeding two-and-a-half-inch ulcer.
The bout was pushed back to November 15 after Tyson was advised to take a break from training. Despite the setback, the pair have now confirmed a new date for the fight, which is anticipated to draw as many as 80,000 spectators at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
Paul, 27, who boasts a professional record of 10 wins from 11 fights, expressed his initial reaction to the postponement in a Netflix documentary. “When I received the news that he was out and not able to fight, I was just numb, I was just like, ‘f***,'” Paul revealed.
“I’m the type of person who likes a schedule and likes to know what I’m doing. This just threw a wrench in all of that, there was nothing I could do, it was out of my control.
“Nobody can tell Mike Tyson what to do and if he wants to fight me, of course, I’m going to say yes. This is the opportunity of a lifetime to fight one of the two most famous boxers to ever live; Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. I look at Mike Tyson as a killer so I never really expected something like this.”
Paul previously stepped into the ring with bare-knuckle boxer and ex-UFC combatant Mike Perry on the date initially scheduled for his bout with Tyson, defeating his opponent by stoppage in the sixth round.
He later stated: “At the end of the day the Mike Tyson fight is great but I have a goal to become world champion and I’m not slowing that down for anyone.”
Tyson’s last time in the ring was four years ago when he fought to a draw with boxing icon Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition match which saw Tyson control much of the action. On that same eventful evening, Paul also featured on the card, securing a brutal knockout victory over former NBA player Nate Robinson in the second round.
The impending fight between Tyson and Paul is set as an official sanctioned contest consisting of eight two-minute rounds, with both fighters donning 14oz gloves for protection. The outcome of this clash will be recorded on their professional records, marking Tyson’s first return to professional boxing since his retirement following a fifth-round loss to Kevin McBride over 19 years ago.