Legendary boxer Mike Tyson slapped Jake Paul during their final weigh-in ahead of their highly anticipated heavyweight showdown at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The confrontation escalated when Paul attempted to provoke Tyson by getting in his face as they approached each other, prompting the 58-year-old boxing icon to respond with a swift slap. Both fighters' teams quickly intervened to prevent the situation from escalating further, separating the two before tensions could spark a larger altercation.
The brief but heated moment was captured on video and shared by Netflix, quickly going viral across social media. With a steely look, Tyson dismissed Paul's pre-fight trash talk, saying, "Talk is over," before delivering the slap. Paul, visibly rattled, responded furiously: "I didn't even feel it. He's angry. He's an angry little elf. Mike Tyson that was a cute slap but tomorrow he is going to be knocked the f*k out. He hits like a b**h. It's personal now. It's personal now. He must die," a fuming Paul responded. "This is a pinch me moment. I got slapped by Mike Tyson," Paul later wrote on X.
Tyson, a former undisputed heavyweight champion with 44 knockouts in his legendary 50-win career, has promised fans a fierce return to the ring, aiming to channel the "Iron Mike" of his heyday. "I'm bringing the devil himself [to the ring]," Tyson declared in an open workout session earlier in the week, pledging an all-out performance in his comeback fight.
Both fighters weighed in at just under the 230-pound mark. Paul tipped the scales at 227.2 pounds, while Tyson registered slightly heavier at 228.4 pounds. This bout, originally set for July but postponed due to Tyson's health issues, is now back on and is set to be fought over eight two-minute rounds with 14-ounce gloves. The fight marks a historic age gap between the fighters, with 31 years separating the 27-year-old Paul and the veteran Tyson.
Reflecting on his training for this fight, Tyson said, "I realized I'm tougher than I thought I was. When I first agreed to this fight, I thought, 'What the f*** am I doing?' But now that I'm here, the fight is the party."
On the other hand, Paul's training regimen has focused on building muscle and mass to compete at heavyweight. "I've been trying to eat as much as possible," Paul said. "I'm consuming around 3,800-4,000 calories daily, lots of eggs, toast, steak, and chicken. And yes, peanut butter and jelly at night - that stuff bangs."
With Tyson aiming to rekindle his fierce ring persona and Paul looking to solidify his fighting reputation, both men are heading into a fight filled with tension, high stakes, and unpredictable intensity.
