Mike Tyson says he is “just fine” and downplayed his health concerns but was taking extra precautions, asking those around him to wear face masks, before Friday’s controversial bout with Jake Paul.
The 58-year-old former heavyweight world champion has not competed in a professional bout since 2005, while YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul, 27, has won 10 of his 11 pro fights.
The contest at Dallas’ AT&T Stadium – which will be shown live on streaming giant Netflix – has drawn criticism from the boxing community because of the age gap between the pair and after it was rescheduled when Tyson had a stomach ulcer in July.
Speaking to BBC Sport at Tuesday’s media workouts, Tyson said he had been put through his paces during training camp which was “not fun but it’s worth it”.
He added: “No one is taking it easy on me. They want to see if I quit or not and I’m still here. All the training is over now. The fight is the party, the training is preparation, but the fight is the party.”
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which has sanctioned it as a pro bout, told BBC Sport it “takes seriously the health and safety of all competitors” and all fighters on the card will be medically assessed on Thursday.
Most Valuable Promotions’ Nakisa Bidarian said this is standard for boxing events in the region and the fight will “100%” take place.
However, it will be subject to certain conditions – the contest will be eight, two-minute rounds and 14oz rather than 10oz gloves must be worn, lessening the impact of the punches.
Face masks, distancing and heavy breathing
Moments before the interview at the Toyota Music Factory in Irving, Texas, members of Tyson’s team politely requested the BBC Sport filming crew keep their distance from the two-time world champion and handed out face masks.
Tyson is concerned about picking up any illnesses during fight week, they said.
There have been question marks on the legitimacy of this fight and whether Tyson – who is reported to be earning as much as $20m for participating – will treat it as a serious bout, despite it counting to his professional record.
Once known as the ‘baddest man on the planet’, Tyson is perhaps the most controversial figure in boxing history.
He is a former undisputed champion, but in 1992 Tyson was convicted of rape, serving three years of a six-year prison sentence.
Tyson won 50 of his 56 contests before retiring in 2005. He became the youngest heavyweight boxing champion in history at the age of 20 and was the first heavyweight boxer to simultaneously hold the WBA, WBC and IBF titles in 1987.
He was noticeably breathing heavily throughout the interview and gave typically short, answers.
“I think he’s a great person but as a fighter I think he’s inferior,” were his thoughts on Paul.
But after the interview, Tyson conducted his open workout in front of fans without issue, moving and punching with ease.
Asked what he thought of Paul comparing himself to legend Muhammad Ali or saying he could beat Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, comments which have irked boxing traditionalist, Tyson replied: “Everyone is entitled to their opinion.”
Tyson was engaging when questioned about his own preparations.
“I’m in there with young guys, 25 and 28 years old, heavyweights. They are not kind to me, my trainers are not kind to me,” he said.
“They let me know, ‘you really want to do this?’. They put me to the test and I believe I passed the test because I did my last day of sparring and training, so I believe I passed the test.”
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