Jake Paul surely won’t be taking Mike Tyson lightly during their match this summer, but Paul thinks the boxing legend shouldn’t underestimate him, either.
Paul, the YouTube sensation turned pro boxer, appeared on Fox News Channel’s Jesse Watters Primetime on Wednesday and vowed to beat Tyson in their big fight in Dallas this July.
“I think he’s underestimating me. I truly, I truly think that. And it’s a heavyweight fight,” Paul said. “He’s the bigger man, but I’m the faster man. He’s the much stronger man, but I’m fresh. He’s experienced.
“I’m smart, but, in the ring, he may be smarter. So, it’s a really interesting matchup. But I think the whole world … and I think a lot of people see his training videos. And, yes, he looks like a beast. He’s a dog. He’s ‘Iron’ Mike Tyson.
“But I believe I have what it takes to beat him. I know this is the toughest test of my life and it’s an honour to be in there with Mike. But, at the end of the day, I’m gonna be the one who gets my hand raised.”
With the fight taking place at heavyweight, Paul also joked that he still needs to bulk up and could team up with former president Donald Trump, who recently was spotted buying food for people at an Atlanta-area Chick-fil-A.
“It’s gonna be tough. He’s the bigger man,” Paul said. “He’s gonna be getting inside. I’m probably gonna be at Chick-fil-A with Mr. Trump trying to gain weight for this fight. But I believe I have the faster feet and the faster hands, so I’m going to be working angles.
“And, I don’t mind. Mike can have the game plan. I’m still gonna beat him. That’s how confident I am in my ability.
“He can’t bite my ear off if I knock his teeth out.”
While Tyson has been showing off some impressive-looking workout videos on X (formerly Twitter), the former world champion recently told Sean Hannity that he was “scared to death” heading into the fight with the much younger Paul, 28.
“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, 57, said. “I was afraid of the (Roy Jones Jr. fight in 2020).
“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.”
The rules for the highly anticipated fight are getting a bit more clear as well.
During his appearance on Fox News, Tyson said that the bout would be an exhibition under “real fight” rules.
“This is called an exhibition,” Tyson said. “But if you look up exhibition, you will not see any of the rules that we are fighting under — this is a fight.”
As for Paul, he vowed that it’s going to be a legit fight and an “all-out war.”