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Mike Tyson isn’t expecting much of a fight when he squares off with Jake Paul next month.
The legendary boxer said he doesn’t anticipate Paul will go the distance, that is if he doesn’t try to run from Tyson.
“If I don’t have to catch him, you can expect a Round 1 knockout,” Tyson said, per ESPN’s Andreas Hale. “But I may have to catch him because I anticipate this guy running from me.”
When Tyson steps into the ring at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Nov. 15, it will be his first time fighting since his exhibition bought with Roy Jones Jr. in 2020. Before then, his last fight was against Corey Sanders in 2006. Tyson hasn’t fought professionally since 2005.
Nonetheless, the 58-year-old said he feels great heading into his fight with the YouTuber-turned-boxer.
“When I was fighting professionally, I was too stressed out,” Tyson said. “I never had a chance to relax or enjoy my championships because everything was coming at me. There were lawsuits and divorces. I never enjoyed myself as a human being. This is a moment in time when I can enjoy myself as a human being. I have better life skills now than I did while fighting.”
Paul, who boxed for the first time professionally in 2020, has a 10-1 record with seven knockouts. His only loss came to Tommy Fury in 2023 and he beat Mike Perry via TKO in July, a fight that came on the day he and Tyson were supposed to fight originally.
Given the 31-year age difference, Paul is expected to handle Tyson, but Iron Mike seems to have plenty of confidence as the fight nears.
