Mike Tyson said he’s nervous and afraid to get in the ring with Jake Paul for their exhibition fight set for July 20 in Arlington, Texas.
But that’s normal for the 57-year-old former heavyweight champion, who explained in a recent interview why fear is part of his success plan.
“I have a weird personality,” Tyson told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Tuesday night. “I don’t think it’s weird though. Whatever I’m afraid to do, I do it. And that’s how it is. 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. And that’s my personality. Right now, I’m scared to death.
“As the fight gets closer, the less nervous I become because it’s reality and in reality, I’m invincible.”
Tyson went on to explain that feeling fear is a sign of victory and that he would’ve never agreed to fight the 27-year-old Paul if he wasn’t ready.
“I always believed that adversity and nervousness pretty much catapulted me into success,” he 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.”
Tyson said Paul has “come a long way from YouTubing” and creating “weird” videos on the internet.
“I saw a YouTube of him at 16 doing weird dances. That’s not the guy I’m gonna be fighting,” Tyson 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.”
Paul (9-1, 6 KOs) vs. Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) will take place at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, and will stream live exclusively on Netflix.
The boxing legend, who will be 58 (his birthday is June 30) when he and Paul get in the ring, is not worried about the 31-year age gap.
“I’m 58 and what? I’m getting billions of views from just talking to somebody about fighting,” Tyson told Reuters.
Both fighters have been touting the fight to produce blockbuster numbers.
“Everybody, even most of the athletes, they’re jealous, that’s whack,” Tyson said. “I say in your prime you couldn’t draw a million people, man. What are you talking, you couldn’t sell out an arena. Who at 58 could sell out an 80,000-seat arena?”
During a 2022 episode of his “Hotboxin’” podcast, Tyson told UFC commentator Joe Rogan he would fight Paul for one reason: to break records for pay-per-view buys.
Tyson hasn’t fought since November 2020, when he faced Jones in an exhibition bout in Los Angeles — which marked his first professional fight in over 15 years.
Paul is coming off back-to-back knockouts against pro boxers and Golden Glove winners Ryan Bourland (March 2024) and Andre August (December 2023).
The Tyson-Paul fight is the first-ever partnership between Netflix and Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP).
