Mike Tyson has accomplished just about everything a boxer could in the sport – his next opponent in Jake Paul has just 10 professional bouts.
Tyson is in the conversation as the best boxer of all-time – on the contrary, while Paul has his eyes set on becoming a world champion, he certainly has a long way to go.
But the butterflies are alive and well, even for the “Baddest Man On The Planet,” who admits he is “scared to death” about his fight with the former YouTuber.
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Mike Tyson and Jake Paul. (Joe Scarnici/Getty Images; Alex Menendez/Getty Images)
“I have a weird personality – I don’t think it’s weird though. Whatever I’m afraid to do, I do it. That’s how it is,” Tyson told Sean Hannity on Tuesday night. “I was afraid of the Roy [Jones Jr. fight [in 2020].
“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. That’s my personality. Right now, I’m scared to death.”
But that’s what pushes Tyson to get back in the ring.
“I always believed that adversity and nervousness pretty much catapulted me into success. 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 looks on prior to the Heavyweight fight between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou at Boulevard Hall on October 28, 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
EX-UFC STAR SAYS MIKE TYSON’S TRAINING VIDEO FOR JAKE PAUL FIGHT IS ILLEGITIMATE
However, when “reality” sets in, Tyson will be all business, and the butterflies will float away.
“As the fight gets closer, the less nervous I become, because it’s reality. And in reality, I’m invincible.”
Tyson says Paul has come “a long way from YouTubing.”
“I saw a YouTube of him at 16 doing weird dances. That’s not the guy I’m gonna be fighting,” he said. “This guy is gonna come, he’s gonna try to hurt me, which I’m accustomed to, and he’s gonna be greatly mistaken.”
Jake Paul reacts after knocking out Andre August in the first round at Caribe Royale Orlando. (Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports)
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The fight will take place at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, on July 20.
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