ARLINGTON, 15 NOV– Former boxing champion heavyweightMike Tyson slapped his opponent Jake Paul as the two men faced off for the final time on Thursday ahead of their controversial fight.
Tyson, 58, slapped Paul on the cheek with his right hand after the official weigh-in for Friday’s fight at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Security immediately intervened to separate the two fighters following the incident before Tyson was taken away.
Tyson, who weighed 228.4 pounds after stepping on the scales, barely spoke before leaving the stage.
“Talking time is over,” Tyson said before walking out with his team members.
Paul, a 27-year-old YouTube streamer-turned-boxer, insisted he was unhurt by Tyson’s punch that stunned onlookers.
“I don’t even feel pain. (It seems) he is angry. He’s an angry little elf, so cute,” quipped Paul, who weighs 227.2 pounds.
Paul ended his speech with a curse-filled pledge to bring Tyson down, before roaring into the microphone: “He’s got to die.”
Tyson was reportedly paid US$20 million for today’s official fight in Texas, which will take place over eight two-minute rounds.
The bout, which aired live on Netflix, has divided opinion across the boxing world, with many prominent figures condemning Tyson’s return to boxing nearly 40 years after his professional debut and 19 years after his last official fight. – AFP
