Mike Tyson on Wednesday night cut a quiet and subdued figure ahead of his Texas showdown with Jake Paul, while the YouTuber provided the energy at the pre-fight press conference.
‘Iron Mike’, 58, said just 27 words – one for every year since his opponent was born – in response to reporter questions, clearly uninterested in engaging Paul in a headline-grabbing war of words the event was designed for.
“I’m just ready to fight,” he said flatly at various times, adding: “I’m just happy to be here.”
Mike Tyson and Jake Paul
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Paul described Tyson’s demeanour as “boring”, telling his opponent: “There’s been a lot of s**t talk online, you saying you’re going to kill me, and just nothing in person. It’s… I don’t know, it’s pretty boring. Pretty f*****g boring.”
He added: “I want him to be that old savage Mike … I want that killer. I want the hardest match …