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It’s a quiet Mike Tyson as the 58-year-old almost has a fight with Jake Paul, 31 years his junior
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It’s a quiet Mike Tyson as the 58-year-old almost has a fight with Jake Paul, 31 years his junior

IRVING, Texas (AP) — Mike Tyson was in no mood to talk during the final news conference for the 58-year-old former heavyweight champion faces YouTuber boxer Jake Paul.

Tyson had short answers to all the questions Wednesday night, two nights before the fight against Paul, who is 31 years younger, at the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.

The question of Tyson’s health did not come up in a small concert hall about twenty miles from AT&T Stadium. A fight originally scheduled for July 20 was postponed until Friday evening after Tyson had to be treated for a stomach ulcer when he became ill during a flight.

Tyson said in a documentary promoting the fight that he lost 26 pounds during his recovery, but Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder with Paul of Most Valuable Promotions, said Tyson had been medically cleared for weeks.

Bidarian also said Tyson underwent the same regular medical checks as any sanctioned pro fight in Texas.

Several states would not approve of the fight. Texas agreed to a fight that lasted eight rounds instead of ten or twelve, with two-minute rounds instead of three, and heavier gloves designed to reduce the force of punches.

“I said everything I had to say,” Tyson said in one of many attempts to get him to say more. “I’m just looking forward to fighting.”

“It’s cute,” Paul said of the short Tyson. “I’m not afraid of anyone, so I want him to be that old wild Mike.”

Paul couldn’t even get Tyson to respond by wearing, according to the 27-year-old, a “diamond-tipped earmuff.” It was Paul’s joke to Tyson about the Hall of Famer infamously biting Evander Holyfield’s ear during a 1997 fight.

Tyson briefly flew into a rage when someone asked twice what he would do if he lost. His last sanctioned fight was in 2005. Tyson fought Roy Jones Jr. four years ago. in an exhibition.

“I’m not going to lose,” Tyson said, his voice being questioned for the second time. “Did you hear what I said?”

Tyson was 50-6 with 44 knockouts before retiring 19 years ago. Paul is 10-1 with seven knockouts in less than five years as a pro, mostly facing mixed martial artists and journeyman boxers.

The fight is the first martial arts event to be streamed on Netflix. It will be available at no additional cost to Netflix’s more than 280 million subscribers worldwide.

According to BetMGM Sportsbook, Paul is a minus 200 betting favorite. That means the payout for a Paul win would be about half the amount of each bet.

The co-main event is a rematch between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano for the undisputed super welterweight title.

Taylor won a split decision that many questioned in a slugfest at a sold-out Madison Square Garden in 2022 in the first women’s fight to headline the famed venue.

Taylor and Serrano sat behind Tyson and Paul on the stage, with the ten fighters from the undercards on either side of Tyson and Paul.

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AP Sports: https://apnews.com/sports