“If I win, I will become immortal.”
Former boxing superstar Mike Tyson is about to return to the ring. He was willing to accept anything for it. “But if I do it badly, I don’t want to die in a hospital bed. I want to die in the ring.”
The statements come from a three-part Netflix documentary intended to set the mood for the fight between ex-heavyweight world champion and influencer Jake Paul.
In terms of sport, the duel between the megastar of the 80s and 90s and the 31-year-old competitor on Saturday night (about 2 am/Netflix) is not to be taken seriously.
But the fact that “Iron Mike” is back in the ring for an official fight and that the reach and marketing power of Netflix is behind it makes it a mega event. Paul’s promoter Nakisa Bidarian predicted “the most watched boxing event in modern boxing history.”
Tyson collected between 50 and 100 million euros
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There are 80,000 fans at AT&T Stadium in Arlington (Texas), the stadium of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. “I can rest,” said the 58-year-old Tyson, “but I want to fight this guy and kick his ass.” By the way, the payment is also correct. Experts believe that Tyson, as the big draw number, will collect between 50 and 100 million euros.
In the best of times, the flamboyant boxing star could buy anything he wanted. He keeps lions and tigers in his luxurious mansion in Maryland. Tyson once said that he wasted half a billion US dollars in his life. The extravagant lifestyle, wrong friends, bad decisions – all this led to financial bankruptcy in 2003.
Tyson revealed that he spent the last million in his rehab account due to his addiction to alcohol and drugs. Tyson said he recovered financially by investing in a cannabis products company.
Attack of weakness in July – special rules are intended to protect health
Due to his attack of weakness on a plane and the consequences of a stomach ulcer, the fight originally planned for July had to be postponed until the fall. According to media reports, Tyson must undergo a final health check 24 hours before the fight.
If there is any doubt, it may lead to a short term cancellation. Or the event will officially be reduced to a show fight.
Some special rules now apply, which are primarily intended to protect Tyson’s health. Boxing only takes place in eight rounds instead of twelve, each lasting only two minutes. Tyson diligently posts pictures and videos of himself training on his social media channels. The body is well trained, the punches are strong, the movements are smooth. On his side is the trainer Rafael Cordeiro, who is already taking care of him in the show fight against Roy Jones Junior in 2020.
Influencers as adversaries
And what makes Jake Paul interesting for Netflix as a Tyson opponent? His follower number. He is followed by 27 million fans on Instagram and 20.8 million on YouTube. The American, whose birth Tyson already has twelve years professionally under his belt, began his career on social media as an influencer and has only been in the ring since 2020. He has not made much of an impression in his ten fights. .
“I’m the new face of boxing,” said Paul: “I’m going to teach Mike Tyson how to box.”
Tyson could only smile at such daring statements. The man has experienced everything in boxing. Became the youngest heavyweight world champion in history as a 20-year-old. The golden years as a champion.
Disgrace after losses like in 1990 against the obvious outsider Buster Douglas or failures like the “Bite Fight” in 1997 against Evander Holyfield. And also the deep fall as an addict and criminal.
But Mike Tyson always got up. “In boxing they say: A moving target is hard to hit. And that also applies to life,” he said in the Netflix documentary.
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