Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson has lashed out at critics who have questioned his decision to fight YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, citing the significant age gap between the two.
The highly anticipated bout is scheduled to take place on Nov. 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and will be streamed live on Netflix. Tyson, 58, is 31 years older than Paul, 27, and has faced significant scrutiny over the matchup.
However, Tyson has dismissed the criticism, claiming that it stems from jealousy. Appearing in a recent episode of the Impaulsive podcast, ‘Iron Mike’ said:
“This is all about jealousy. They wish they could do it. They can’t. They can’t do it, they’re out there making up crazy bulls*** but they wish so bad they were in our position. They wish so bad they could take care of their families the way we can. The way people yell our names. They’re world champions. No one knows their names. The sh*t talkers get all the money, the sh*t talkers get all the attention, the sh*t talkers get everything. We get a bad wrap, but we also get everything else.”[H/t
Mike Tyson reflects on struggles with aggressive persona from the past ahead of Jake Paul’s fight
Mike Tyson has opened up about the internal struggles he faces as he prepares for his upcoming fight against Jake Paul. Appearing in the same episode with Logan Paul, Tyson revealed that he often finds himself battling with the desire to revert to his aggressive, confrontational persona.
‘Iron Mike’ said:
“When that tough guy Tyson comes out when it’s not necessary for it to come out, I’m always in handcuffs. So I’m very careful when that guy comes out, because they break out the handcuffs. Every time I drink or get ready to fight I break out in handcuffs. It’s unfortunate that I have to fight and be that guy. I wish I could stop that guy. That guy haunts me. I wish that guy died. But he’s here to stay … He wants to come back every second of my life… I just think of when I was younger and people bullied me.”
