Mike Tyson Declares Health “Just Fine” While Implementing Precautions for Jake Paul Bout

Live text commentary for the Mike Tyson versus Jake Paul fight will be available from 03:00 GMT on Saturday, 16 November, via the BBC Sport website and app. Mike Tyson has asserted that he is “just fine” and downplayed any health concerns, yet he adopted additional safety measures, requesting those in his vicinity to wear face masks, in advance of Friday’s contentious match against Jake Paul. The 58-year-old former heavyweight world champion has not participated in a professional bout since 2005. In contrast, Paul, a 27-year-old who transitioned from YouTuber to boxer, has secured 10 victories in his 11 professional contests. The event, set to take place at Dallas’ AT&T Stadium and broadcast live on streaming giant Netflix, has drawn criticism from the boxing community. This stems from the significant age disparity between the two fighters and the fact that the fight was rescheduled in July after Tyson experienced a stomach ulcer. Speaking to BBC Sport during Tuesday’s media workouts, Tyson indicated that his training camp had been demanding, describing it as “not fun but it’s worth it”. He further remarked: “No one is taking it easy on me. They want to see if I quit or not and I’m still here. All the training is over now. The fight is the party, the training is preparation, but the fight is the party.” The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which has sanctioned this as a professional bout, informed BBC Sport that it “takes seriously the health and safety of all competitors” and confirmed that all fighters on the card would undergo medical assessments on Thursday. Nakisa Bidarian of Most Valuable Promotions stated that this procedure is standard for boxing events in the region and affirmed that the fight will “100%” proceed. However, the contest will be subject to specific conditions: it will comprise eight two-minute rounds, and fighters must wear 14oz gloves instead of 10oz, which is intended to mitigate the impact of punches. Tyson turned 58 last June. Moments before the interview at the Toyota Music Factory in Irving, Texas, members of Tyson’s team courteously asked the BBC Sport filming crew to maintain their distance from the two-time world champion and distributed face masks. His team explained that Tyson is concerned about contracting any illnesses during fight week. Questions have been raised regarding the legitimacy of this fight and whether Tyson, who is reportedly set to earn as much as $20m for his participation, will approach it as a serious contest, despite it counting towards his professional record. Once known as the ‘baddest man on the planet’, Tyson is arguably the most controversial figure in boxing history. He is a former undisputed champion, but in 1992, Tyson was convicted of rape, serving three years of a six-year prison sentence. Tyson achieved victory in 50 of his 56 contests before retiring in 2005. At the age of 20, he became the youngest heavyweight boxing champion in history and, in 1987, was the first heavyweight boxer to simultaneously hold the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles. He was observed breathing heavily throughout the interview and provided characteristically concise answers. Regarding Paul, he commented: “I think he’s a great person but as a fighter I think he’s inferior.” Nevertheless, following the interview, Tyson conducted his open workout in front of fans without issue, demonstrating fluid movement and punching with ease. When questioned about Paul’s comparisons of himself to boxing legend Muhammad Ali or his claims of being able to defeat Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, remarks that have irked boxing traditionalists, Tyson responded: “Everyone is entitled to their opinion.” Tyson engaged readily when asked about his personal training regimen. He stated: “I’m in there with young guys, 25 and 28 years old, heavyweights. They are not kind to me, my trainers are not kind to me.” He continued: “They let me know, ‘you really want to do this?’. They put me to the test and I believe I passed the test because I did my last day of sparring and training, so I believe I passed the test.”