Iron Mike will be coming out of retirement on July 20
Mike Tyson has pleaded with Jake Paul not to pull out of their boxing match later in the year.
Fans from all over the world are set to tune in when the pair do battle at the AT&T Stadium in Texas on July 20.
It will be Tyson’s first fight since his showdown with Roy Jones Jr back in 2020 – yet some fear for the boxing icon.
Paul is 27, and Tyson 58, with a number of fans and pundits concerned about the fight due to the massive 30-year age gap between the two men.
Mike Tyson has pleaded with Jake Paul not to pull out of their boxing match
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The showdown has been sanctioned as a professional fight, too.
Speaking recently, Tyson sat down with Damon Elliott to discuss his upcoming fight.
The presenter joked that Paul should stay clear of Tyson, saying: “Jake, I’ve know Mike since he smacked the s*** out of me at 14-years-old and my face has never been the same.”
Yet Tyson then told Paul not to listen and pleaded with the youngster to go ahead with the fight as planned.
“Do it Jake, please, don’t listen to this man. Jake, don’t listen to him, please,” he quipped.
Fortunately, there seems little chance of Paul withdrawing.
Paul is taking the fight extremely seriously, despite the age gap between himself and his opponent.
And the former YouTuber, speaking on his podcast, has revealed he plans to bulk up to the size of Anthony Joshua.
“Same training camp essentially but there are a few minute differences which I will elaborate on,” he said.
“But it’s always the same amount of hard work and dedication.
“But the differentiators will be me being able to eat which I’ve already noticed is so much better for recovery.
“As well as sparring heavyweights and I’ll probably spar less because the heavyweights obviously punch harder and it’s more intense taking shots from heavyweights, which I will obviously be doing this camp.”
Paul also claims ‘one of us has to die’ as he looks to come out on top.
“I love the guy, but as soon as it turned into a pro fight, one of us has to die,” he said.
Mike Tyson has been training ahead of his showdown with Jake Paul on July 20
“He’s taking this very, very seriously and that’s what’s going to make the fight amazing for all the fans.
“He’s a killer. I’m moving up to the heavyweight division so he’s going to have some advantages but that’s what’s going to make this fight exciting.
“We both have one-punch knockout. This is what he was destined to do and what he was born for.
“And he was the one who wanted it to be a pro fight.
“We were figuring out the rules and Mike said, ‘I want it to be a pro fight. I want to end this kid and stop everything he’s doing.’
Mike Tyson will be facing an opponent 30 years his junior when he goes up against Jake Paul
GETTY
“So I agreed to make it a pro fight and it’s as real as it gets.”
The fight between Tyson and Paul takes place later in the year, with full details to be announced in due course.
