Sports
Mike Tyson finally reveals what really went wrong in build-up to Jake Paul fight
Mike Tyson claims to have ‘learned’ from the mistakes he made ahead of his last outing against Jake Paul, and promises to ‘be better’ in his expected exhibition match with Floyd Mayweather.
The 59-year-old lost a unanimous decision to Paul in November 2024, albeit in a contest that involved 14oz gloves and a limited duration of eight, two-minute rounds.
But still, with their matchup being sanctioned as a professional bout by the Texas Combative Sports Program, ‘Iron Mike’ was ultimately handed a seventh loss on his record.
Prior to their encounter, many had expressed concern over Tyson’s deteriorating health, particularly after he suffered an ulcer flare-up earlier that year.
The former world heavyweight champion later admitted that he had almost lost his life, but nonetheless entered his postponed contest with Paul and produced a largely pedestrian performance.
But now, as he gears up to take on ‘TBE’, the Brooklyn says he needs to lower the intensity of his training.
In an interview with Hard Rock Bet, Tyson says that the demanding nature of his preparation for Paul undoubtedly had a negative impact on his overall performance.
“I feel good right now. This is the best I’ve felt. I can’t wait to start getting in the ring. I learned from my last fight.
“I left a lot of my fight in the gym. I worked too hard. I was too intense. I was too extreme. I need to relax more. That’s what I always believe. I need to relax more … I’m getting more and more confident, and I believe I’ll be better in the next fight coming up.”
Before facing Paul, Tyson’s last professional outing came in 2005, when he suffered a sixth-round stoppage defeat to Kevin McBride.
Mayweather, meanwhile, has not fought professionally since his 10th-round finish over Conor McGregor in 2017, for which he hit the scales at just under 150lbs.
