In a viral weigh-in moment the night before the highly anticipated fight on Netflix, former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson slapped Youtuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in the face on Thursday.
Moments after the tense exchange that quickly spread like wildfire on social media, Tyson explained to multiple outlets, including The New York Postwhy he slapped Paul, whom he believed purposely antagonized him.
“I was in my socks and he had on shoes,” Tyson said. “He stepped on my toe because he is a f—ing a–hole. I wanted to think it happened by accident. But now I think it may have happened on purpose.
“I was in a lot of pain. I had to reciprocate.”
Paul, who played up the slap to the crowd as security separated the two boxers, told reporter Ariel Helwani in a post-weigh-in interview that the slap made the fight “personal.”
“I’m f—ing him up! He hits like a b—h! It’s personal now. He must die,” Paul screamed.
There’s been no shortage of words between the two ahead of the fight, which is officially sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
Tyson, in an interview following an open workout on Tuesday, vowed to bring out “the devil himself” in the fight, and promised that his seven children would see their father in a whole different light following the bout.
Not afraid to dish out his own verbal ammunition, Paul claimed that he would defeat any version of Tyson, from the undisputed heavyweight champion in his 20s to the 58-year-old veteran who will step into the ring against him on Friday night.
But Tyson, moments after slapping Paul, perhaps summed things up best when he was posed a question by a reporter.
“Talking’s over,” Tyson said.
Tyson vs. Paul can be streamed exclusively on Netflix for no additional charge to those with a subscription. The main card begins at 8 p.m. ET, and Tyson and Paul are expected to walk to the ring at AT&T Stadium at approximately 11 p.m. ET.
