Mike Tyson breaks silence on reports of £36m Jake Paul fight ‘agreement’
Heavyweight boxing legend Mike Tyson has spoken out for the first time since reports emerged of a blockbuster bout between himself and YouTuber-turned-fighter Jake Paul
Mike Tyson has sought to clarify rumours of a £36million mega-fight between himself and Jake Paul.
Reports emerged on Monday evening that the two men had reached an agreement over a multi-million pound bout despite the huge gap in age and experience between the two pals.
It had been claimed that Iron Mike, 55, who last fought in an exhibition in 2020, could meet the YouTuber-turned-boxer, 25, early this year.
Tyson and Paul have been pictured together in the past, but there was surprise among boxing fans when it was alleged they would do battle against each other.
The former heavyweight king has now clarified the situation in a post on social media.
Mike Tyson has clarified the situation with Jake Paul
Responding to reports of an agreement between himself and Paul, Tyson said: “This is new to me. I saw Jake in St. Barths and he never mentioned it.”
Paul and Tyson are not the most obvious of bedfellows but they recently spent time together on Iron Mike’s Hotboxin’ podcast, with the YouTuber revealing the boxing icon called him the greatest of all time.
“When I sat with Mike Tyson on his podcast, bro, he’s so smart and wise and he was sitting next to me for like 20 minutes just preaching knowledge,” Jake said back in December.
Jake added: “And he goes, ‘Bro, you’re the GOAT, January 17th people are not to be messed with.’ When I told him my birthday, he was like, ‘Oh my god.'”
Paul is 5-0 as a professional boxer and recently knocked out former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley – his second win over the 39-year-old.
He has also conquered fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib, NBA star Nate Robinson and another MMA fighter Ben Askren.
Paul, who celebrated his birthday on Monday, has since been contemplating the idea of a switch to the octagon and has even called out UFC president Dana White.
Despite Tyson’s denial of a fight between the pair, he has spoken in the past about whether he could knock Paul out.
When asked if he could KO the social media personality, he said: “So f****** easy. Yeah, but I would never. I’d be against my own f***** family. They love this little white motherf*****. You know what I mean?
“He got balls. He’s got f****** balls.”
