Mike Tyson has told talkSPORT he will bring the “devil himself” into the ring when he takes on Jake Paul on Friday night.
The 58-year-old heavyweight legend is speaking with stern words ahead of his controversial crossover showdown against the 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer.
Tyson spoke to talkSPORT after his public workout on Tuesday
Tyson was always an intimidating presence during his younger days as a fighter.
Throughout his career, he produced numerous rancorous speeches and furious tirades that struck fear into his opponents and many spectators alike.
Prior to this fight, he had called Paul a “manufactured 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁er” while referring to himself as a “𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁er.”
And now, in an interview with Gareth A Davies for talkSPORT on Tuesday, Tyson has made headlines again with some strong comments.
Asked if he will bring darkness into the ring against Jake Paul, he replied: “Well, even better than that, I’m bringing the devil himself.”
Tyson was also questioned about his thought process when he accepted this fight at age 58.
He explained: “When I first accepted the fight, I thought, ‘Yeah, let’s fight.’
“But then I started the process of preparing for the fight and I thought, ‘Holy shit, this is something.’
“So the process is over, now it’s the fight. The fight is the party. The training is the process, the process is hard, but the fight is the party.”
Asked if he plans to knock out Paul, Tyson added: “Definitely. That’s what the whole process is about: the knockout.”
Paul vs Tyson is scheduled for Friday night
Although many are concerned about Tyson getting back into the ring at his advanced age, the Texas commission has agreed to sanction the eight-round fight (two-minute rounds) as an official professional bout.
Fight week kicked off on Tuesday with public workouts.
And of course, the main focus was on Tyson.
Although Iron Mike has posted brief clips on social media in recent weeks and months, no one has seen him perform a full workout to test his endurance.
However, at this public event, Tyson relentlessly hit the pads with his trainer Rafael Cordeiro.
It seemed to win over several fans online who began changing their predictions judging by the comments made as the videos circulated.
Mike Tyson’s fierce public training stuns fans and convinces many that he will win by knockout against Jake Paul
One wrote: “If Tyson doesn’t win, it’s 100 percent fixed, even at 58 he’s a far superior boxer to Jake.”
While a second fan said: “Jake has made a HUGE mistake here.”
A third commented: “Mike Tyson still has it all! Jake Paul better be ready for a REAL fight!”