Jake Paul is unfazed by the Mike Tyson training footage reemerging after the announcement of their upcoming heavyweight fight this summer.
Tyson, who will be 58 when they meet in the ring, is doing pad work with MMA coach Rafael Cordeiro in the video. The former world champion shows off some of the signature hand speed and power that made him one of the hardest hitters in boxing history.
He throws several combinations and moves his head multiple times to avoid what Cordeiro throws back in the clip shared by the coach on NBA in mid-February. Tyson had the Brazilian as his trainer and cornerman for his last fight, an exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr four years ago.
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But the recirculating tape is nothing new to Paul. The YouTuber made as much clear in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, following the confirmation of the fight.
"A member of my team sent me this video that Mike’s coach put up two weeks ago and asked me if I’m sure that I want to do this," it reads. "Yes, yes I do. Heavyweight."
Paul also added in the post: "He’s the greatest heavyweight of all time (and) the most vicious knockout artist ever. But I’m younger, I’m faster, and I’m going to be working my ass off to get stronger." It turns out, however, that the footage is from late 2020, while Tyson was training with Cordeiro for the Jones Jr fight.
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That eight-round exhibition ended as a split draw and was the last time he entered the ring. Paul has yet to publicly acknowledge that the footage is from four years ago, despite the context now appearing below the post on X.
He is also unsurprisingly bullish about his chances against the fighter three decades his senior. "My sights are set on becoming a world champion," a separate post from Paul says in part," and now I have a chance to prove myself against the greatest heavyweight champion of the world, the baddest man on the planet and the most dangerous boxer of all time.
"Time to put Iron Mike to sleep." Tyson has, as yet, said less about the fight in the aftermath of its announcement.
But he is similarly adamant about stopping Paul within the scheduled distance. “I'm very much looking forward to stepping into the ring with Jake Paul,” Tyson said in a press release.
“He's grown significantly as a boxer over the years, so it will be a lot of fun to see what the will and ambition of a “kid” can do with the experience and aptitude of a GOAT.
"It's a full circle moment that will be beyond thrilling to watch; as I started him on his boxing journey on the undercard (against former NBA player Nate Robinson) of my fight with Roy Jones Jr, and now I plan to finish him.”
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.