Despite compiling a 50-6 record in the ring, becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion in the three-belt era and developing a reputation as a fearsome fighter and “The Baddest Man on the Planet”, to his seven children, Mike Tyson is still just dad.
But after the night of November 15, when the 58-year-old will enter the ring against YouTuber-turned-professional-boxer Jake Paul, Tyson said his kids will view him in a much more different light.
Speaking to a group of reporters following an open workout on Tuesday, Tyson said that the intensity he brings to the fight vs. Paul will be eye-opening to his children, especially his 16-year-old daughter, Milan, according to ESPN.
“She saw me on television fight with Roy Jones [in 2020]but she has never seen anything of this magnitude in her life,” Tyson said. “My kids don’t really think of me as the baddest man on the planet. They look at me as Dad [and tell me] sit your old ass down.
“But on Nov. 15 they will have a different opinion of me.”
Tyson, who retired from professional boxing in 2005, last fought in an exhibition match against former four-division world champion Roy Jones Jr. in 2020. But the fight vs. Paul, first announced in March and officially sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, is a return to the professional ring for Tyson.
The bout was initially scheduled to take place on July 20, but an ulcer flare-up in May forced Tyson to the sidelines for a few weeks, and pushed the match back to November.
In a separate interview following Tuesday’s workout, Tyson joked that he was having second thoughts about fighting Paul, who is 31 years younger, when he first began training for the bout.
“When I agreed to this fight and I started training, I said, ‘What the f–k am I thinking of?’ ” Tyson said. “And I finished the process and now the fight’s the party.”
But with the fight around the corner on Friday night, Tyson, who vowed to bring out the “devil himself” in the ring, made it clear what his intentions are towards Paul.
“There are no feelings attached,” Tyson said. “My own mother should be very careful if she has to get in the ring with me. When it’s over, it’s over. But while the process is going on, my intention is to hurt him. I hope he has the same intentions, or he is in trouble.”
The fight will take place at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Tx., and can be streamed on Netflix. Tyson and Paul are expected to begin their rings walks at approximately 11 p.m. ET.
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