The intrigue surrounding Friday night’s main event between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul increased ten-fold based on Thursday’s incident at the final stare-down.
A svelte Tyson stood in trunks on the stage waiting for Paul’s arrival. In classic Paul fashion, he made a spectacle of the entry — crawling to Tyson on all fours as if he were a predator prowling for prey. In the process, he stepped on Tyson’s toes. Whether intentional or not, it elicited a visceral reaction from Iron Mike.
Tyson unleashed an open-handed slap without skipping a beat — connecting with Paul solidly. Tyson was then immediately ushered away as Paul stood pointing to his face with a gigantic smile.
The incident seemingly enthused the crowd. The same could be said for Paul, who was interviewed right after by journalist Ariel Helwani. Paul said the following in the aftermath of the slap:
“I didn’t even feel it. He’s angry. He’s an angry little elf. Mike Tyson, I thought that was a cute slap, buddy. But tomorrow you’re getting knocked the f*** out. I’m f****** him up, Ariel. I’m f****** him up. He hits like a b****. It’s personal now. It’s personal now. He must die!”
Now, the optics around this fight are a bit muddled. There’s obvious intrigue based on Tyson’s resume as one of the best boxers ever. However, at 58 years of age, some are skeptical about this fight considering he’s going up against a much younger fighter. Paul is only 27 years old comparatively speaking.
As of Friday morning, Paul was a -200 favorite. Tyson was listed as +160 to win. The fight will be streamed on Netflix. The main card will begin at 8 p.m. ET.
