Mike Tyson offered money by ‘wealthy friends’ to cancel Jake Paul fight as controversial bout nears
Mike Tyson has delivered a defiant response to wealthy friends who offered him money to cancel his upcoming fight with Jake Paul, dismissing their pleas with a sharp rebuke.
The 58-year-old former heavyweight champion is set to face the YouTuber-turned-boxer next Friday at the AT&T Stadium, despite concerns about the 31-year age gap between the fighters.
The bout was originally scheduled for July but had to be postponed due to Tyson suffering from a stomach ulcer flare-up.
During training camp footage aired by Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions and Netflix, Tyson revealed the startling offers he had received.
“I have some friends, they’re pretty wealthy. They said, ‘Don’t fight, I give you money’,” Tyson disclosed between training sets.
His response was characteristically blunt: “You f****** crazy?”
The boxing legend has been putting himself through an intense training regime, dismissing all concerns about the upcoming bout.
The health scare that led to the fight’s postponement this summer was revealed in detail in a pre-fight Netflix documentary.
“Coming here from Miami on the plane, I went to the bathroom and I threw up blood. The next thing I know I’m on the floor, I was defecating tar,” Tyson explained.
Doctors discovered he had a two-and-a-half-inch bleeding ulcer, with Tyson losing 26 pounds after the ordeal.
“All my friends were calling me like I was dying,” he added, noting that he had “peaked” before the setback.
Paul’s reaction to the initial postponement was captured in the Netflix documentary series.
“When I received the news that he was out and not able to fight, I was just numb,” Paul revealed.
The 27-year-old boxer acknowledged the unique opportunity ahead of him.
“Nobody can tell Mike Tyson what to do and if he wants to fight me, of course I’m going to say yes,” Paul said.
“This is the opportunity of a lifetime to fight one of the two most famous boxers to ever live.”
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The highly anticipated bout will be fought over eight two-minute rounds with both boxers wearing 14oz gloves as opposed to the usual 11oz gloves.
Despite his recent health struggles and the significant age difference, Tyson has maintained his commitment to the fight through an intense training camp.
Paul’s only loss in 11 fights as a professional boxer came against Tommy Fury last year.