Mike Tyson, one of the greatest boxers of all time, is stepping back into the ring for a fight with former YouTuber Jake Paul. Despite Paul’s relative inexperience, at least compared to Tyson, the “Baddest Man on the Planet” admits he’s still more than a bit scared about his upcoming fight. In fact, he admitted that he is “scared to death” about the fight.
Such is what Tyson, who competed in the ring from 1985 to 2005, said when he appeared on Sean Hannity’s program on Fox News Channel on the night of Tuesday, April 2. During the appearance, Tyson said that he’s been worried about fights in the past, but he has pushed through it, and that this time he’s still scared but that fear motivates him to face his fears and get back in the ring despite his age.
Saying as much to Hannity, Tyson spoke about his 2020 bout with Roy Jones Jr., one that ended in a split draw. He said, “I have a weird personality – I don’t think it’s weird though. Whatever I’m afraid to do, I do it. That’s how it is.” Continuing, he added that he was scared before his fight with Jones Jr. in 2020, saying “I was afraid of the [fight with Roy].”
Explaining what led to that fear, he noted that he was not in as good shape as he could have been, but that he decided to step up and confront his fear rather than back down in the face of it. He said, “I was 100 pounds overweight, I was however old, 54, 53, and I said ‘Let’s do it.’ Anything I’m afraid of, I confront it. That’s my personality. Right now, I’m scared to death.”
Continuing, he explained how he handles fear, saying that confronting it head-on is what pushes him back into the ring despite his age. He sai, “I always believed that adversity and nervousness pretty much catapulted me into success. If I didn’t have these feelings, I wouldn’t go into this fight. I have to have these feelings to fight. Without them, I would never go in the ring.”
Tyson also noted that his fears tend to dissipate as the fight gets closer, saying that he remembers he is “invincible” as the day of the fight approaches. “As the fight gets closer, the less nervous I become, because it’s reality. And in reality, I’m invincible,” he told Hannity.
Further, Tyson noted that he has to remember Paul isn’t the YouTuber he used to be, but a fighter now, saying, “I saw a YouTube of him at 16 doing weird dances. That’s not the guy I’m gonna be fighting.” He added, “This guy is gonna come, he’s gonna try to hurt me, which I’m accustomed to, and he’s gonna be greatly mistaken.”
Watch Tyson here:
Tyson likely appeared on Hannity because, in addition to his fame as a boxer, he is a supporter of former President Donald Trump. Speaking to Patrick Bet David in March of 2024, for example, Tyson said, “People don’t like it, but Trump is the man. Trump is the man, he has his fan base, he has his supporters, and they’re gonna stick with him to the end.”
Featured image credit: By Super Festivals – https://www.flickr.com/photos/superfestivals/53161465181, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=136938246
