Legendary boxer Mike Tyson, renowned as the “Baddest Man on the Planet,” has never shied away from the spotlight. However, even with his storied career, Tyson admits that he still feels the weight of pressure, even as he gears up for his upcoming bout against Jake Paul this summer.
During a recent appearance on Hannity, Tyson opened up about his mindset, revealing that despite his intimidating persona, he still grapples with nerves and fear. “I have a weird personality—I don’t think it’s weird though. Whatever I’m afraid to do, I do it. That’s how it is,” Tyson shared. Reflecting on his previous match against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020, Tyson confessed, “I was afraid of the Roy fight. 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. That’s my personality. Right now, I’m scared to death.”
At 57, Tyson is preparing to step into the ring against a much younger opponent. Jake Paul, aged 27, boasts a 9-1 record in his 10 professional fights and is coming off consecutive first-round knockout victories. Despite Paul’s prowess, Tyson remains undeterred. “I saw a YouTube of him at 16 doing weird dances. That’s not the guy I’m gonna be fighting,” Tyson remarked. “This guy is gonna come, he’s gonna try to hurt me, which I’m accustomed to, and he’s gonna be greatly mistaken.”
The highly anticipated match between Tyson and Paul is scheduled for July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with the event set to be streamed live on Netflix. For Tyson, this will mark his first return to the ring since his 2020 exhibition against Jones.
Despite his nerves, Tyson believes that the pressure will ultimately fuel his performance. “I always believed that adversity and nervousness pretty much catapulted me into success,” he explained. “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.”
