Mike Tyson and Jake Paul haven’t even started their highly anticipated fight, yet they still found a way to face off. During their weigh-in on Thursday, November 14, Tyson, 58, and Paul, 27, briefly squared off on stage. Tyson slapped Paul across the face, and his team had to stop him from escalating the tension.
When asked by the moderator why he hit Paul, Tyson didn’t answer the question and walked away. His younger opponent, however, was pressed about the scuffle and claimed he “didn’t even feel” the slap.
“He’s angry,” Paul told the audience. “He’s an angry little elf. Mike Tyson, I thought that was a cute slap, buddy, but tomorrow, you’re getting knocked the f**k out.”
Paul then yelled he’s “f**king him up” and claimed Tyson “hits like a bitch.”
“It’s personal now!” he screamed. “He must die.”
While taking to X (formerly known as Twitter) shortly thereafter, Paul cheekily wrote, “This is a pinch-me moment. I got slapped by Mike Tyson,” adding a happy-faced hugging emoji.
The showdown is scheduled to air live on Netflix on Friday, November 15, at 8 p.m. ET. The two fighters — known as “Iron Mike” and “The Problem Child” — were initially supposed to go head to head on July 20 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Two months prior, Tyson had an ulcer flare-up while on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles.
Most Valuable Promotions issued a statement about the ordeal, postponing the event to a later date.
“During a follow-up consultation on Thursday with medical professionals on his recent ulcer flare-up, the recommendation is for Mike Tyson to do minimal to light training over the next few weeks and then return to full training with no limitations,” MVP explained, noting that “both Mike and Jake are in agreement that it is only fair to ensure that both athletes have equal training time to prepare for this important match and are able to compete at the highest level.”
MVP added, “We fully support Mike taking the necessary time to allow himself to perform at the level he expects of himself.”
Tyson shared an update with his social media followers after the fight was pushed back. In May, he tweeted, “Now feeling 100 percent even though I don’t need to be to beat Jake Paul.”