Former world cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew has claimed it would “absolutely kill” him to see Mike Tyson get hurt by Jake Paul in their upcoming fight.
So much so, that the former champion has claimed he would “happily” spend a couple of weeks in prison to exact revenge for one of his boxing heroes, should he lose to Paul in their upcoming fight on July 20.
27-year-old Paul will take on Tyson, who turns 58 before their fight, at the AT&T stadium in Arlington, Texas, in front of the Netflix cameras.
The pair embarked on their first press conference promoting the fight in New York on Monday and will come face to face again on Thursday at a second press conference in Texas.
In his prime, Tyson was one of the most destructive heavyweight champions in the history of the sport but the fact Paul is fighting him in his late 50s has drawn some ire from purist boxing fans.
Love him or hate him, Paul’s crossover from YouTube star to boxer has seen him become one of the sport’s biggest draws in terms of ticket sales and pay-per-view buys.
“Press conference at @apollotheater with @jakepaul and co-main @KatieTaylor and @serranosisters. This fight isn’t scripted as some haters in boxing community want you to believe. This is a sanctioned fight and I’m knocking Jake out.”#paultyson #taylorserrano pic.twitter.com/XWZoeql1n1
— Mike Tyson (@MikeTyson) May 14, 2024
Nonetheless, Bellew is less than impressed with all parties involved that the fight has been made, particularly now it has been sanctioned as a professional fight.
“Mike is probably getting between $20-50 million for this fight, I’m not going to lie, I’d do it,” Bellew told Boyle Sports.
“Everyone has got a price. But if Jake Paul hurts Mike Tyson it would absolutely kill me. If he hurt Mike Tyson and then I run into Jake Paul, I’d chin him, quite happily. I would even spend a couple weeks in the big house for that.
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“It’s a sad, sad day. It’s not a professional contest really because only women fight two minute rounds, men do not fight two minutes. But Jake Paul is so f*****g pig headed, he wants it to go on Mike Tyson’s record.
“Hopefully Mike chins him and puts him to sleep in six or seven seconds. The age Tyson is at, he could be Jake Paul’s grandfather, so it’s sad really. It should have been left as an exhibition.
“But that’s who he is, he’s after clout and fame. I just hope Mike has that one punch left in him. He will never lose that punch, he’s lost the snap and sharpness of it, but if he turns a right hand over and hits Jake Paul on the chin, the boy is going to sleep.
“But at 58 years old it’s f*****g frightening, this is show business. This really isn’t boxing.
“I don’t think Netflix cares about Mike’s health, they generated $25billion last year. Netflix doesn’t give a s**t about Mike Tyson. No one cares and the saddest part is, Mike knows that – he’s been there, done it and got the T-shirt.”
The build-up to Paul vs Tyson has already been spicy, with Tyson warning his rival that his life will be on the line when they meet in the ring on July 20.
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